Gnudi

Gnudi...Isn't it fun to say?  So remember last week when I vented about my frustrations in trying to make gnocchi- an Italian potato dumpling?  Well, this pretty little thing is an Italian dumpling, too (hence the words beginning with "gn") and clearly I experienced much more success.  If you are watching your carb intake, this is a  great way to get your Italian fix. If you're not watching your carb intake, this is a great way to get your Italian fix :)  In addition to making a delicious dumpling, I also homemade this marinara sauce (it's by far one of my favorite things to make.)  More on that in a minute.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons flour, plus 1 cup for coating(I used 6 tablespoons)
• marinara sauce

Directions:

throw everything but the flour into a bowl (during this time, start a pot of boiling, salted water- not a rolling boil, but a good, medium boil...if there ever was such a thing)

mix everything together, then add your tablespoons of flour and mix in

form your mix into ball/oblong shape thingies.  coat with flour

shake off excess flour

slowly and carefully drop your dumplings (4 at a time if you have small pot) into the boiling water.  let them boil for 3-4 minutes.  when they are done, they will surface to the top like the one pictured.

***Note:  if you didn't add enough flour, they will fall apart (apparently- and I believe it after dealing with the stupid gnocchi s...forgive the anger.  I'm still recovering from my failure.)  If you follow the amount in the recipe, you'll be fine.

*serve with marinara sauce- here are my new found secrets that produced THE.BEST.MARINARA SAUCE I HAVE EVER MADE:

• roast your veg (a few sticks of carrots, 2 onion halves) to get some color- 400 degrees for about 40 minutes
• once cool, slice into big chunks and throw into your food processor with 3-4 cloves garlic
• add oil to a pot, and add your "sofrito" (your veg mix) and cook over medium for 10 minutes
• add a bay leaf and some oregano (maybe a teaspoon or so) as well as a good pinch of sugar
• deglaze pan with 3/4-1 cup of red wine and let it reduce for 4 minutes
• add 1 28 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes along with another smaller can
• add plenty of salt and some pepper, and partially cover and simmer for 1-2 hours.
• serve over gnudi as an appetizer or a main entree with salad or whatever you want!

Enjoy!