The gluten-free gnudi are the version with rice flour of the traditional Tuscan dish, particularly from the provinces of Grosseto and Siena.
The term “gnudi” means “naked” in the Tuscan dialect, as they represent the filling of ravioli without the pasta shell that wraps them.
These are soft balls made of ricotta, spinach, and flour, usually seasoned with melted butter and sage.
In the Siena area, they are called “malfatti” because of their irregular shape, as they lack a casing to contain them.
The recipe was born as a creative solution to use leftover ravioli filling, demonstrating the ingenuity and practicality of country cooking.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 18 oz spinach
- 10.5 oz ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese (+ for seasoning)
- 1.8 oz rice flour
- 3.5 oz butter
- to taste sage
- to taste salt and pepper
Steps
Thoroughly wash the spinach and cook them in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain them, squeeze well to remove excess water, and chop finely.
Prepare the dough: in a large bowl, combine the chopped spinach, well-drained ricotta, egg, grated Parmesan cheese, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Form the gnudi: with slightly floured hands, take small amounts of dough and shape them into balls the size of a walnut. Roll them in flour to prevent sticking.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Gently plunge the gnudi in and cook until they rise to the surface, indicating they are ready (about 3-4 minutes).
In a pan, melt the butter with the sage leaves until the butter turns golden and fragrant.Drain the gnudi with a slotted spoon, arrange them on plates, and season with sage butter. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
