Soft, creamy, aromatic gnudi, the little balls of deliciousness, smothered in brown butter and topped with sautéed mushrooms, hazelnuts, and sage — excellent quick refreshing lunch. Since the gnudi have to be already ready and waiting in the fridge, this dish comes together in about 10 minutes. And it is so satisfying and refreshing.
About the ingredients
- Ricotta: this dish is all about the ricotta, so try to source high-quality ricotta from your local supermarket. Even though it is fresh, a lot of cheese can be somewhat heavy, so I added some lemon zest, along with the nutmeg, into the ricotta mixture to further lighten and refresh the flavors. It also contrasts the brown butter sauce nicely.
- Butter: you will be making the brown butter sauce, which primarily gets its taste from the butter, so try to use European-style butter.
- Mushrooms: any kind of mushroom will be good for this recipe. However, I find that the more earthy ones pair up much better with the sage and the brown butter. I used small black poplar mushrooms in this recipe. They are quite firm when cooked and look gorgeous on the plate.
- Sage: if you can, try to source small, younger sage leaves as they will be less bitter, not so chewy, and easier to crisp up.
- Mushrooms: any kind of mushroom will be good for this recipe. However, I find that the more earthy ones pair up much better with the sage and the brown butter. I used small black poplar mushrooms in this recipe. They are quite firm when cooked and look gorgeous on the plate. You can also use chanterelles, black trumpets, brown button mushrooms, etc. Note that some mushrooms like the porcini, although excellent in flavor, tend to wilt and soften. In this case, it might be better to make a full-out mushroom sauce to coat the gnudi.
How to make the gnudi in brown butter with mushrooms, hazelnuts and sage
While it might sound and look daunting, making the gnudi at home is not that complicated. There are two main steps:
- make the ricotta mix, and
- shape the gnudi
Flavoring the ricotta
Okay, mixing the ricotta with some flavors is not a big deal. Basically, just throw everything in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
Shaping the gnudi
Shaping is where things can get a bit hairy. But don’t worry, it is a steep learning curve, and after you make several, you should get the hang of it.
By far, the easiest way to shape the gnudi is using an extra small ice cream scoop. Each gnudi should be about 20g / 0.7oz each.
If you don’t have the ice cream scoop, you can use the kitchen scale. Add some semolina flour onto the kitchen scale and scoop the ricotta mixture on top using a small spoon. Dust your fingers and hands with the semolina flour and gently shape into a ball. That’s it, one done.
Next, place the gnudi onto a baking tray filled with semolina flour. Now repeat until there is no more ricotta mixture left.
Make sure there is space between each gnudi in the baking tray. Finally, fill the baking tray with enough semolina to cover all the gnudi.
Place in the fridge, and now you just have to wait for the semolina to draw out the moisture from the ricotta and form a thin layer of dough—pretty neat, right? The time frame for this depends on the moisture level of the ricotta. However, it should be anywhere between 18 and 48 hours.
Tips & tricks
- Drain the ricotta to remove excess water – it will be easier to shape the gnudi
- Use either a kitchen scale or an extra small ice cream scoop for even and uniform gnudi. Each gnudi should weigh about 20g/0.7oz.
- Don’t cover the baking tray while the gnudi are resting in the fridge – the goal is to remove excess water from the ricotta.
- When the gnudi are ready for cooking, you can do another round of shaping. After sitting in the fridge for such a long time, they will be firmer, but their shape will not be uniform. Dust the excess flour and roll them gently between your hands to make a perfect round ball.
- Time your cooking with a stopwatch – if the gnudi cook for more than 3 minutes, they will start to disintegrate and turn into mush.
Best way to serve gnudi
The gnudi are the best when still warm and soft like feathers. Also, they tend to soak up the brown butter sauce quickly, so if you wait for too long, it might look as if there is no more sauce. However, since the gnudi already have layers of flavor, they don’t require much else. You can grate some parmesan or pecorino cheese over them and enjoy.
You can serve the gnudi as a main dish for lunch or in smaller quantities as an appetizer. A nice light green salad will go wonderfully if you serve them as a main dish.
If you like the gnudi in brown butter with mushrooms, hazelnuts and sage, please leave a comment below.
You might also like the homemade pumpkin gnocchi or the pumpkin ricotta ravioli. They are also excellent in this brown butter sage sauce.
Gnudi in Brown Butter with Mushrooms, Hazelnuts, and Sage
Equipment & Tools
- Baking tray medium
- Kitchen scale
- Etxtra small ice cream scoop optional
INGREDIENTS
GNUDI
- 623 g ricotta (high-quality)
- 75 g parmesan (finely grated – Note 1)
- 2 lemons (zest; Meyer)
- ⅓ nutmeg (freshly grated)
- ½ salt (Himalayan)
- 780 g semolina flour
THE SAUCE
- 1 handful sage leaves (fresh)
- 42 g butter (unsalted; Kerrygold)
- 2 tbsp hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
- 100 g mushrooms (Black poplar)
- black pepper (freshly ground)
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE THE GNUDI
- Combine all the ingredients for the gnudi into a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Spread and level half of the semolina onto a baking tray.
- Add some semolina flour on the kitchen scale Take a small spoonful of the ricotta mixture and place it on the semolina. It should weight 20g/0.7oz. Lightly dust your hands and gently roll into a ball. Place the gnudi in the baking tray so that there is some space between each gnudi. Repeat until there is no more ricotta.USING AN ICE-CREAM SCOOPScoop the ricotta mixture using the ice cream scoop and drop into the semolina. Repeat until there is no more ricotta mixture.
- Spread the rest of the semolina over the gnudi and place in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours. Do not cover the gnudi.
COOK THE GNUDI & MAKE THE SAUCE
- (Optional) Take the gnudi from the fridge and reshape each again into a ball – Note 2. Shake the excess semolina and place back on the tray.
- Place a large pot of water over high heat and let it come to boil.
- Meanwhile, warm the skillet over medium heat and add the butter and sage.
- When the sage is cooked halfway and the milk has separated from the butter, take sage out and add the mushrooms. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until the mushrooms are almost done 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add back the sage and hazelnuts. Turn the heat to low.
- Cook the gnudi for 3 minutes exactly and gently add them into the sauce.
- Shake the pan to coat the gnudi with the brown butter sauce – Note 4.
SERVING
- Divide among the plates and grate some parmesan on top.Serve immidiately.
NOTES
- Use Microplane zester for best results.
- The gnudi will not be perfect since the ricotta is quite soft when initially shaped. Overnight, the water will evaporate, and the semolina will create a dough-like layer making the gnudi firmer and easier to shape.
- It is better to shake the pan not to break the gnudi. They are very fragile. Alternatively, you can use a soft spatula.
