Spring is here and I’m celebrating the upcoming long weekend with my new recipe: Spring Gnudi with Beurre Blanc. Gnudi are light and pillowy Italian dumplings made with ricotta cheese. This recipe for Spring Gnudi with Beurre Blanc celebrates the flavours of the season with fresh asparagus and peas. A rich and creamy beurre blanc made with Narrative Chenin Blanc ties the whole dish together.
Recipe in collaboration with Okanagan Crush Pad.
Gnudi: The Easiest “Pasta” Recipe
While gnudi are not actually considered to be a true pasta, they are just as delicious but way easier to make from scratch. They are much easier to make than gnocchi (which used potatoes and flour), and they taste a lot lighter, which is perfect for spring.
Making gnudi is not only simple, but it is super quick. Simply combine drained ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan, a few spices and flour into a bowl and mix until combined. Then simply roll into balls and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then they are ready to cook! *Draining the ricotta is super important for this recipe- see why in the Recipe Notes below!*
Gnudi cook very fast as well, making this recipe easy enough to make on a weeknight. Simply boil the gnudi until they float to the surface, then continue to cook for another minute. It’s honestly so easy…I don’t know why I don’t make gnudi more often!
A Rich & Tangy Beurre Blanc
I like to serve these gnudi with seasonal asparagus and peas, as well as a rich and tangy beurre blanc. The beurre blanc gets an extra tanginess from a combination of white wine vinegar and a splash of Narrative Chenin Blanc.
Making the beurre blanc is easy (despite how intimidating it may sound), but must be made right before you want to serve the gnudi. Otherwise, if made in advance and reheated, it is more likely to split and end up like regular melted butter. I do have a handy trick to fix the beurre blanc if it does split (see Recipe Notes below), but it’s always safer to make it right before serving.
I have outlined the beurre blanc recipe below and you can use this on other recipes like fish, chicken, or vegetables. A rich and tangy butter sauce makes everything taste so good!
The Perfect Spring Wine Pairing
The Narrative Chenin Blanc is a great spring wine pairing for this recipe. The wine is produced in the Okanagan Valley here in British Columbia, and is bright and crisp. I love the subtle lemony flavour of the wine as well as a bit of briny minerality.
Not only is this wine great on it’s own, it really enhances the flavour of the beurre blanc and pulls this entire recipe together! If you make this for your friends and family this spring, they will surely be impressed!
Get the Recipe!
Spring Gnudi with Beurre Blanc
Ingredients
For the Gnudi:
- 500 grams ricotta cheese drained (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- Water for boiling
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Vegetables:
- Water for boiling
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup peas
For the Beurre Blanc:
- ¼ cup Narrative Chenin Blanc
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot ~3 tablespoons, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream 35%
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into 2-cm cubes, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup chives finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
To Make the Gnudi:
- Begin by making the gnudi. Add the drained ricotta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and egg in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the flour to the bowl and mix to combine. The mixture should be stiff and hold together easily.
- Dust a large plate with ¼ cup of flour and dust your hands with flour to avoid the gnudi from sticking.
- Scoop one heaping tablespoon of the gnudi filling and roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands. The gnudi should be slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball. Continue rolling the gnudi and flouring your hands as needed.
- Once all the gnudi are formed, lightly sprinkle the top of the gnudi with another ¼ cup of flour. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1 hour.
To Make the Vegetables:
- Next prepare the vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt and trimmed asparagus. Blanch for 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and tender. Just before the asparagus is done, add the peas and blanch for 30 seconds.
- Drain the vegetables and rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside.
To Make the Beurre Blanc:
- Prepare the beurre blanc right before you want to serve this dish.
- Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the wine, white wine vinegar and shallots to the pan. Mix to combine, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until there is 2 tablespoons of liquid left in the pan.
- Keep the heat over medium. Add the cream to the pan and whisk to combine. Next, add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking vigorously until the butter is fully melted into the sauce before adding another cube.
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, reduce the heat to low and add the salt and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
- Strain the beurre blanc through a strainer to remove the shallots. Return the beurre blanc to the pan and keep warm over very low heat.
To Assemble Final Dish:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the gnudi. Reduce the heat medium and gently boil the gnudi for 2-3 minutes, or until the gnudi float to the top. Once the gnudi float, cook for an additional minute, then drain.
- To assemble, place the asparagus and peas in the bottom of a bowl and top with 6-8 gnudi per person. Spoon 2 tablespoons of beurre blanc over the gnudi and vegetables and garnish with the chives.
- Serve immediately with a glass of chilled Narrative Chenin Blanc and enjoy!
