Calling this pasta isn’t quite accurate because, well, there’s no really pasta dough aspect. The name gnudi is a Tuscan dialect version of the word for “nude” because these are essentially a ravioli filling without the pasta covering. They’re lighter than gnocchi and easier to make so even if you haven’t made pasta, these are doable. The key is to get the best ricotta you can find – I recommend the Bellwether Farms basket ricotta.
Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
Make The Ricotta Gnudi:
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, the egg and egg yolk, the grated Parmigiano Reggiano, the salt, and lemon zest. Sprinkle the flour over the ricotta mixture and mix it in with a spatula. Once it is hard to mix with the spatula, use your hands and knead it briefly until it becomes a uniform ball. The mixture should be moist but not sticking to your hands when you touch it. Add in more flour (up to 1⁄2 cup more) as needed to make sure it sticks together but not to your hands.
Now there are two ways you can form the ricotta gnudi. Either you do it by hand as follows: Dust the dough lightly with more flour and shape it into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a rope and cut it into 32 to 36 pieces. Gently roll the pieces into balls and transfer them to a floured baking sheet.Or you can use a cookie scoop: Dust a rimmed baking sheet with all-purpose flour. Use a size #40 (1 1/2 tablespoons)cookie scoop to form golf ball-sized gnudi and gently release them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the gnudi generously with more all-purpose flour.
Place the gnudi in the refrigerator to chill while the water comes to a boil for at least 5 minutes(you could freeze them at this point for later). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Make The Butter Sage Sauce:
Melt half of the butter in a large pan over medium heat until it starts bubbling. Gently lay in the sage leaves and let them sizzle, toasting for about a minute until crisp and fragrant. Transfer the leaves to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt.Next, ladle in 1/4 cup of boiling pasta water to the pan, stirring as it bubbles. Grind a generous amount of black pepper directly into the sauce to amp up the flavor.
Take the pan off the heat, then slowly whisk in the remaining butter one piece at a time. Be patient—add each piece only after the previous one has fully melted into the sauce. Keep whisking until the sauce becomes shiny and silky, then stop. Don’t rush this step—it’s worth the extra effort!If you’re not serving the sauce immediately, keep it warm over a bain-marie (a hot water bath). Just make sure the sauce doesn’t touch the water, and avoid reheating it directly in the pan, as this can cause it to split.If your sauce does separate, don’t panic! Quickly remove it from the heat and grab a few pieces of ice-cold butter from the fridge. Whisk the cold butter into the sauce—it’ll lower the temperature and help bring everything back together.
Serve The Ricotta Gnudi:
Add the gnudi to the sauce and turn to coat. Plate the gnudi in serving plates letting a little butter sauce pool around the bottom then top with a few fried sage leaves and a few pinches of salt and cranks of black pepper and serve immediately.