Gnudi with tomato sauce

Gnudi?? what a weird name! Nudo means 'nude' in italian and these are basically ravioli without the pastry wrappers! They can be considered a cousin of  gnocchi but made with ricotta rather than potato.

I would suggest using fresh ricotta from a cheese store rather than supermarket ricotta. Make sure the ricotta is will drained but putting it in a sieve lined with cheesecloth and leave in the fridge until it stops dripping.

Whats so great about this recipe is that you can add spinach, different herbs, well its up to your imagination. The sauce can also be anything you like and a simple as butter and sage.

This recipe is similar to one i posted a while ago for Malfatti.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 lb ricotta
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
 2 1/2 cups grated parmesan
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2/3 cup fresh tomato sauce ( or cheat here and used canned!)

Method
Fill a pan with water, add some salt and bring to the boil.
In a food processor, mix the eggs, ricotta, egg yolk, 2 cups of the cheese, the nutmeg, add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix until you get a smooth paste.
Sprinkle the flour onto a plate.
Divide the mixture into manageable pieces and roll into strips about 1 1/2 inch wide. They should look like snakes!
Cut slices of about 3/4 inch thick and roll them lightly in the flour.
Make sure the water in the pan is boiling and and add to the pan but don't over crowd.
Let boil for about 2 mins then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat untill they are all cooked,
(At this point, you can let them cool down and refridgerate for later use. Covered, they can keep for about a day).
If you are eating them immediately, pre-heat the oven to 400F, put the gnudi in a baking dish, drizzle with the tomato sauce, add the remaining cheese and bake until lightly browned (about 15 mins)
Should serve 4!

Zabaglione

Unlike some recipes I came across, real zabaglione is not made using cream!! This is the authentic italian way of making this delicious dish

Zabaglione is an ethereal dessert made by whisking together egg yolks, wine (traditionally marsala) and sugar. This beating is done over simmering water so that the egg yolks cook as they thicken into a light, foamy custard. Traditional zabaglione must be made just before serving. (There is also a frozen version.) The warm froth can be served either as a dessert by itself or as a sauce over cake, fruit, ice cream or pastry. In France it's called sabayon or sabayon sauce.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

2 1.2 oz sugar

4 tbs dry marsala

The Zabaglione is cooked over simmering water in a double boiler. This will prevent the eggs from curdling, so take care the water doesn’t come into contact with the bottom of the bowl.

In the top of the double boiler (or a metal bowl that can be suspended over simmering water), beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and foamy. Beat in the marsala. Set the mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly for about 4-5 minutes. If the mixture heats too quickly, remove it from the heat for a few seconds. You want to cook the eggs slowly so the mixture stays very smooth. It will look foamy and be slightly thick. Serve immediately, or chill for making

Read all about zabaglione here