Incredibly light and garlicky, these ramp gnudi taste wonderful with a brown butter sauce, freshly grated Parmesan, and chive blossoms.
When it comes to Italian food, gnudi is hands down my favorite dish. Gnudi means 'naked' in the Tuscan dialect. They are little dumplings, or pasta fillings made with ricotta cheese, without the pasta shells. Not to be confused with gnocchi, which are made with potatoes. I discovered these dumplings from the Canal House Cooking Volume 7 many years ago. Since then I've been making different variations but my favorite spring one is the ramp gnudi. Incredibly light and garlicky, these ramp gnudi taste wonderful with a brown butter sauce, a generous shaving of Parmesan, and chive blossoms.
Ingredient Notes
- Ramps are a type of wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) native to the woodlands of North America. They are the first plants to appear in the spring, growing wild in only certain regions along the Appalachian ridge from Georgia to Quebec. In Europe, a similar species is called wild garlic (Allium ursinum) or ramsons. Unfortunately there is no substitution for ramps. You can use spinach but the taste will be different.
- Ricotta: look for sheep’s whole milk ricotta from your local Italian grocery store or specialty market. Quality ricotta only has milk, salt, and either an acid or natural culture for its ingredients. Avoid ricotta with various gums and stabilizers listed as ingredients because they are used to artificially thicken the milk solids. If you can’t find high quality sheep’s whole milk ricotta, cow’s milk ricotta that is moist, soft, and creamy is a great substitute. My favorite brand is Bellwether Farms. Make sure you drain them overnight to remove excess moisture.
How to Make Gnudi
- Blanch the ramps for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and shock them in iced water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop them as fine as possible.
- In a large bowl, combine ramp, ricotta, grated Parmesan, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix just enough to combine all the ingredients. Avoid over mixing otherwise the ramp gnudi will end up dense and tough. Refrigerate the mixture covered for 2 hours or overnight for the flavors to develop.
How to Shape Gnudi
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then sprinkle semolina flour over it.
- Flour both a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop and your hands before shaping them gnudi.
- Scoop the gnudi mixture out and use your hands to roll them into little balls.
- Drop the little balls into a bowl filled with semolina flour and roll them around.
- Transfer the ramp gnudi to the baking sheet and continue until you have about 30-32 dumplings.
How to Store the Dumplings
- Lay the ramp gnudi on the semolina flour in a single layer, leaving a bit of space in between them. Sprinkle additional semolina flour over the gnudi.
- Cover them with a kitchen towel and chill in the fridge for 24 hours. This step forms a crust on the gnudi and helps them hold their shape during cooking.
How to Cook the Dumplings
Cook unsalted butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat until lightly browned and keep it warm over low heat. At the same time, bring a really big saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil then reduce the heat to med-high. Cook the gnudi in batches by dropping them in water and cook for about 2-3 minutes until they float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and transfer them directly to the pan with brown butter. Shake the pan around and let the gnudi cook and become lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
What to Serve Them With
Cooked gnudi are best served right after cooking. I love these ramp gnudi with just the brown butter sauce, a generous shower of Parmesan cheese, and chive blossoms. Chive blossoms can be substituted with onion blossoms or skip them altogether if you can't find either.
Make Ahead and Storage
These ramp gnudi can be made uncooked for up to 72 hours. If you double the recipe or have uncooked gnudi, you can freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet then put them in an airtight container for up to three months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and cook them according to the previous instructions.
For more ramp inspiration:
- Wild garlic ramp pesto
- Wild garlic ramp scones
- Parmesan ramp wreath bread
- Wild garlic ramp fava bean soup
- Wild garlic ramp olive oil tart
Wild Garlic Ramp Gnudi
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ramp leaves, blanched and finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese, drained
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups semolina flour
For Serving
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chive blossoms
Instructions
- Place the ricotta in a strainer lined with cheese cloth and leave to drain excess liquid overnight in the refrigerator.
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the ramp leaves and let them blanch for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked ramp leaves to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process.
- Drain the ramp leaves. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Finely chop the ramp leaves and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add drained ricotta, Parmesan, flour, chopped ramps, eggs, salt, and pepper. Gently fold the mixture until it comes together. Avoid over mixing otherwise the ramp gnudi will end up dense and tough. Refrigerate the mixture covered for 2 hours or overnight for the flavors to develop.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then sprinkle 1 cup of semolina flour over it. Fill a bowl with the remaining semolina flour.
- Flour both a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop and your hands before shaping the gnudi.
- Scoop the gnudi mixture out and use your hands to roll them into little balls. Drop the little balls into a bowl filled with semolina flour and roll them around.
- Transfer the ramp gnudi to the baking sheet and continue until you have about 30-32 dumplings.
- Lay the ramp gnudi on the semolina flour in a single layer, leaving a bit of space in between them. Sprinkle the semolina flour from the bowl over the gnudi. Cover them with a kitchen towel and chill in the fridge for 24 hours. This step forms a crust on the gnudi and helps them hold their shape during cooking.
- Cook unsalted butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat until lightly browned and keep it warm over low heat.
- At the same time bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add a few gnudi at a time to the water, keeping the water over a medium-high heat so it continues to boil. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes.
- When the gnudi rise to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer them directly to the pan with browned butter. Shake the pan around and let the gnudi cook and become lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Divide the cooked gnudi among serving bowls. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and chive blossoms.
Notes
- These ramp gnudi can be made uncooked for up to 72 hours. If you double the recipes or have uncooked gnudi, you can freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet then put them in an airtight container for up to three months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and cook them according to the previous instructions.
Olivia
This took a bit of time to roll but once I got a rhythm going it was easy. So delicious!!!
Melissa
Wonderful! Love the ramp. Flavor was subtle and not overwhelming.
Chloe
Never had gnudi before. Simple and delicious. Now I'm on team gnudi!