Nothing heralds the start of Summer quite like the first harvest of asparagus and freshly podded peas. This seasonal dish of light gnudi pillows with delicate ricotta, paired with a cool glass of Showerings and a healthy dose of sunshine of course, makes a delightful al fresco lunch.
Ingredients: Serves 5-6
Yields ~45 dumplings
- 475g ricotta, drained of any excess liquid and pat dry with paper towel
- 100g grated parmesan, plus more to serve
- 2 large eggs
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- Salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 60-90g plain flour + more for shaping
- Small handful of mint leaves, finely sliced
- Small handful of basil leaves, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp finely sliced chives
- 50g shelled snap peas
- 50g snap peas in their shell, sliced into 1cm long pieces (or more shelled snap peas)
- 6-7 stalks of asparagus, sliced into 2cm long pieces
- Ice for blanching
- 115g unsalted butter
Instructions:
1. Add the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 60g of the flour and pulse just to combine, being careful not to overwork the batter. It will be quite wet, resembling a very thick cake batter, but you should be able to shape it into balls with floured hands. If it still feels runny, blend in more flour, 15g at a time, until you can. Then, add the mint, basil, and 2 tbsp of the chives and pulse once or twice to incorporate.
2. Set a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
3. Dust a sheet tray well with flour. Use a tablespoon to portion each gnudi, not worrying about their shape at this stage. Place them onto your tray, ensuring that the surface of the tray is coated with flour at all times and that the dumplings have space around them. Work onto two trays if necessary. After measuring out all of your gnudi, shape each one into a ball with well floured hands.
4. Once the water has come to a boil, season it well with salt and prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice and pouring in enough cold water to cover it. Place a colander in the sink and have a slotted spoon handy. Add the peas and asparagus to the pot of boiling water and cook for 1 minute, then use the slotted spoon to transfer them directly to the ice bath, leaving the boiling water in the pot. Let the vegetables cool down completely, then drain them in the colander.
5. Bring the water to a boil again. Once it is boiling, add in the gnudi by picking them up and carefully dropping them into the water, then boil them for 5 minutes. While they cook, melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once it is melted, spoon in about 70ml of the boiling water and stir to emulsify. When the gnudi are done cooking, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the pan with the butter sauce and add the blanched vegetables. The gnudi will be very delicate at this stage: stir carefully to coat everything in the butter sauce, then spoon onto serving dishes. Serve garnished with grated parmesan, cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of sliced chives.