Buckwheat Gnudi with Peas
Gnudi are a type of gnocchi made with ricotta cheese instead of mashed potatoes. They're much easier to make, and their texture is very delicate and fluffy. I tried making them with buckwheat flour this time, and they turned out beautifully. Buckwheat flour gave them an earthy and almost nutty flavor that went well with peas. The gnudi recipe was adapted from Gesine Bullock-Prado's blog G Bakes! If using a pastry bag for these gnudi is too much of a fuss for you, you can drop the gnudi mixture into the boiling water using a teaspoon.
Category: Pasta, rice & grains, Vegetarian
Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)
- Serves 2
- Prep time: 10min + chilling time
- Cook time: 15min
- Total time: 25min
- Difficulty: Basic
For the Buckwheat gnudi:
Ingredients
- 150g ricotta cheese
- 25g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 30g buckwheat flour
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix ricotta and Parmesan cheese. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, salt, and lemon zest. Stir the mixture into the cheeses until smooth. Gently fold in the flour just until incorporated. Do not overmix, or the gnudi will not be light and fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large open pastry tip and refrigerate for at least an hour. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Squeeze about 2cm of dough from the pastry bag and cut the dough with scissors directly into the boiling water, holding the bag as close to the water as possible to avoid splashing. Squeeze and cut quickly. Boil the gnudi until they pop to the top of the water and then cook for at least 8 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove gnudi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Keep warm.
For the Pea and lemon cream sauce:
Ingredients
- 100g frozen peas
- 100ml cooking cream
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- pinch of sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- some gnudi cooking water
Directions
Cook the peas in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly with ice-cold water. In a medium saucepan, heat cream and crushed garlic until warmed through. Add peas and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the peas are warmed through and soft. Add the cooked gnudi and lemon zest. Thin the sauce with a tablespoon or two of gnudi cooking water if necessary. Cook for 2-3 minutes and serve immediately with a shaving of Parmesan cheese.
Additional images
