CACCIATORA CHICKEN STEW

Cacciatora stew is one of those simple dishes which comfort you, above all if served with mashed potatoes on a cold winter day.

It is an incredibly rich and simple dish, the result is an amazing sauce in which you can plunge bread and collect it in the famous “scarpetta”. It is a gesture not be made in a restaurant, still the most of us would not resist the temptation. It is almost a moral obligation, none could waste such a treasure.

With some variations, this Tuscan dish is loved and prepared in all Italy. Some cooks add olives, they use dry white wine and no tomato, probably the version I am proposing is revised compared to it. Tomatoes appeared on the tables of Central and Northern Italy quite late, only in the second half of the nineteenth century, I guess that this addition was made more recently.

For the white version, follow the same recipe replacing the red wine with a dry white one and do not add tomato. Some also add pitted olives half an hour before the end of the cooking process.

The same recipe is used for the rabbit too, and the result is always excellent.

It is those of these dishes that represents Italy at its best: Mediterranean herbs, vegetables, wine. The frequent use of wine allows us to use fewer fats and keeping the meat or fish moist. In the meanwhile, it enhances the taste of the seasoning, letting us to use less salt.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 2 hours + 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours + 30 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-size chicken, chopped in small pieces
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 celery rib, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 oz. fresh pancetta, chopped in cubes
  • 3 tablespoons EVO oil
  • ½ cup red wine

 

Instructions

To cook, brown the chicken pieces in a heavy pot with the oil. Once the meat is brown, add the vegetables, pancetta, and herbs. Make the chicken simmer, cover with a lid.

Cook until the vegetables are golden, then add the wine and season the meat. It is important to add salt and pepper with the wine because it enhances the tastes and you use less salt.

Wait until the wine has completely evaporated in order to add the tomato puree. Cook for a couple of hours, adding some water or stock if needed.



GURGUGLIONE OF ELBA ISLAND, THE TUSCAN STEW OF VEGETABLES.

Gurguglione is a typical stew of summer vegetables eaten by the miners of Elba Island.
It was mentioned when I visited the Ginevro gallery, that is a magnetite mine near Capoliveri, now closed because of the competition by developing countries. This stew was a typical dish of the miners of Elba Island, which has always been known for the richness of its mines since the Etruscans began to inhabit it.
A shiver ran down my spine as I entered the mine and I thought of those poor miners who had to venture into the bowels of the earth, with insufficient light and air, and work for 12 hours to excavate by a 35-kilos jackhammer the holes for dynamite. And then, after the explosion, loading the mining trolleys for hours.
In spite of being highly specialized workers, their payroll was so low that they had to keep a veggie garden in order to make ends meet and have enough food for the family. At the time vegetarianism was not an option, and the most of the European population suffered from a chronic deprivation of animal proteins. In the past, it was an entrée, while now it is served as an excellent side dish.
It is composed of the typical summer vegetables, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and onions, and it is a kind of stew that we can find in all Italian regions, with local variations. Some add olives, capers, celery. My mum makes a fricò frying each vegetable separately, due to the difference in cooking time of the various vegetables and then joins them in a tomato sauce rich in garlic and basil.
When these dishes so rich in fats were created, the most of people had such heavy jobs that the abundance of olive oil was not an issue. Yet, it is possible to reduce the quantity of oil if we use a good non-sticking skillet; when the dish was created the most common kind of pan was an iron one.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours + 20 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds green peppers, grossly chopped
  • 3 big eggplants, grossly chopped
  • 4 zucchini, grossly chopped
  • 1 big white or yellow onion, grossly chopped
  • 1,5 pounds tomatoes, grossly chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely minced
  • ½ cup olive oil if you use an iron pan ( ¼ cup for the non-stick one)
  • sea salt

 

Intructions

Put all the ingredients in a non-stick heavy skillet over medium-high and sauté for 10 minutes.

Cover with a lid, then reduce heat to moderately low.

Season with salt and cover it with the lid, so vegetables will cook in their own liquid, and make it simmer for at least a couple of hours until it is cooked



EGGPLANT BALLS, THE PERFECT FINGER FOOD.

These eggplant balls are perfect for finger food at your next summer party, or as an entrée for any summer meal. Eggplants are at their peak right now, being the sweetest and most delicious they can be during the year.
This is the simplified and lighter version of a recipe I had in Calabria, earlier this year. The ones I enjoyed in my Southern holiday were bigger – the food size is always bigger in Southern Italy – and had a heart of Caciocavallo cheese that melted in my mouth, burning my taste buds.
Eggplant is another incredible ingredient that demonstrates, once again, that Italian cuisine has always been welcoming ingredients and cultural influences all over the world.
Cultivated in Southern and Eastern Asia since prehistory, it reached the countries of the Mediterranean thanks to the Arabs. This is indicated by the numerous Arabic and North African names for it, along with the lack of the ancient Greek and Roman names.
While the cultivation of this solanaceous plant took root in Southern Mediterranean in the Middle Ages, it was only introduced in Central and Northern Italy after the unification of Italy in the second half of 19th century.
Pellegrino Artusi, the author of the first book of Italian cuisine of a unified Italy in 1891, The Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, is the first to exalt this versatile vegetable.
“Forty years ago,” he writes in his recipe 399, “one hardly saw eggplant or fennel in the markets of Florence; they were considered to be vile because they were foods eaten by Jews. As in other matters of greater moment, here again the Jews show how they have always had a better nose than the Christians.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 60 minutes | Yield: Makes 4  servings.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium globe eggplant (about 1 pound – 800 gr.) (peeled and cubed ½ inch thick)
  • 2 medium eggs
  • ½ + ¼ cups breadcrumbs (100 gr.)
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino or Grana cheese (100 gr.)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat parsley, finely chopped
  • marine salt and black pepper to season
  • 1 + ½ cups sunflower oil (300 ml.)

Instructions

 

Boil the eggplant cubes in salted water from 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check with a fork when they are soft. Drain the cubes and set aside to cool.

Squeeze all liquid from eggplant through the strainer and transfer the eggplant to a food processor. Add parsley, eggs, cheese, garlic, season with pepper, and pulse.

Scrape down sides of bowl, and blend again until smooth. Test to check if salt is needed, if so, add it and pulse again.

Grease your hands with oil, take a tablespoon of the mixture and form a ball using your hands.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat and fry the balls. You can also spread a bit of olive oil on parchment and bake them instead of frying.

Move to a serving dish and serve.



OCTOPUS SALAD WITH POTATOES

This is an extremely fresh way to be introduced to octopus. This salad is ideal to be served in a hot summer day, above all if you are back from the beach.

Italy has an incredibly wide range of fish and seafood, and as many recipes to cook them. Throughout the country, Octopus is a favourite dish. It is an extremely clever animal, but unfortunaly for it, its meat is extremely tasty, low in fats, but rich in good cholesterol, like prawns and other crustaceans.

I was introduced to the joys of octopus quite late – in my mid-20s – by some friends from Civitavecchia who came to visit with some of them, caught by their father. These cephalopods live in rocky coasts. Hailing from the sandy coast of the northern Adriatic coast, I had never seen it. In these past few decades, Italy has been discovering the cuisines of other regions, and it is common to see it in seafood restaurants all over Italy.

When the octopus is fresh, it is extremely tough. The new way to deal with the problem is provided with technology. (see recipe). The old way, that is quite grisly for my taste, has been turned into a touristic show in the old Harbour of Bari. It consists of pounding the octopus on the rocks for hours. Another technique consists of beating it with a stick until the color changes from red to white. Then it is washed in a basin on a tilting stool until it curls. For more info look here.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour + 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour + 35 minutes | Yield: Makes 6  servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 octopus 1 medium, 3 ½ -4 pounds, thawed (1½-2kg),
  • 2 celery stalks, cut roughly
  • 1 onion, cut roughly
  • 2 tbsp black olives
  • 3 potatoes, medium
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 handful flat parsley leaves
  • flaky sea salt and black pepper
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

In a pot boil the potatoes for about 20-30 minutes.

In another one join the octopus, cold water, salt, celery, carrots and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until octopus is tender, about one hour.Important note: in order to stay soft, octopus should not suffer thermal shock: leave it in the water until it is room temperature.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces, do the same with octopus.

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and garlic and blend them using an immersion blender.

In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the octopus and potatoes with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and add the olives.

It should be served tepid. If you prepare it some hours ahead it should be kept in the fridge and then put it in the microwave.

Freezing and then thawing the octopus breaks down the toughness in the cellular structure of the flesh. It is the best way to soften it; otherwise, it would be rubbery.

In Italy frozen octopus is sold already cleaned of the guts, still you need to discard the eyes and the beak.



CLAMS AND SUMMER, AN INSEPARABLE DUO.

When summer approaches, two things cannot be missed on an Italian table: spaghetti with fresh clams and a bottle of chilled dry wine
Usually, I love making fresh home-made pasta. However, sometimes stopping for a while, opening a bag of excellent durum wheat spaghetti, and making this simple and delicious pasta means it is summer – the holiday period for the most of Italians.
According to personal and regional preferences, there are a lot of variations in this dish: a pinch of chilli peppers, or 4-5 roughly chopped cherry tomatoes… This version is my favourite because nothing interferes with the taste of clams. To me, it is the symbol of Northern Adriatic – a small, enclosed sea and one of the richest for the production of seafood, particularly shellfish.

Spaghetti with fresh clams

  • 1 lb. (400 gr.) spaghetti
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 lbs. fresh clums, purged*
  • 6 teaspoons marine salt
  1. *How to purge clams:Purging the clams is a simple but time-consuming process: first, pour fresh water in a bowl with a tablespoon salt, and lay a strainer in it. Move the clams in it, discarding the ones with cracked shells. Leave them sit for 20 minutes. Take the strainer off the bowl. You will find sand on the bottom of the bowl, discard the water and rinse the bowl, then pour more cold water in the bowl, a tablespoon salt and the strainer with the clams back in water. Repeat this operation four times more for a total amount of 2 hours.
  2. Heat the clams in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat, covered with its lid, until clams pop open.
  3.  Check them one by one as you move them to a bowl, discarding the ones which did not open (it means that they were not fresh).
  4. Filter half of the water produced by the clams pouring it through a white cotton napkin laid inside a fine mesh sieve. Since the quantity of water is a very limited one, also replacing the napkin with cheesecloth or a coffee filter is not a very lengthy process.
  5. Rinse the skillet and heat oil in it.
  6. Add sliced garlic and sauté until light brown, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley; stir 2 minutes. Add clams and their juice. Cover and simmer about a couple of minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Add pasta to clams and toss to coat. Usually there is no need to season to with salt, just add pepper.
  8. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.



POTATO GNOCCHI, A GIFT FROM AMERICAS

Potato gnocchi recipe is relatively recent in the Italian tradition, compared to the other ones.

Gnocchi is spread in all regions of Italy, and with all possible ingredients, depending on where it comes from: flour, corn, semolina, bread, chestnut flour, ricotta, or vegetables – from squash to spinach to classic potato.

The potato was discovered by chance by the conquistadores of Spain, who rode over the tubers in pursuit of the Inca leader, Atahualpa, and his riches. They almost literally “stumbled upon” this precious tuber in the first decades of 15th century.

The story of the conquest by the humble potato of the rest of the world was slow and full of misunderstandings, particularly in Italy. Imported from Spain, it appeared in botanical gardens of Padua and Verona as a scientific “curiosity” in 1591 and 1608. In 1565, King Philip II had gifted the Vatican court with some sample of tubers which were mistaken for truffles, and of course, used improperly. This episode and some other related to food poisoning (potatoes can develop toxicity in certain conditions), prevented a fast growth of its popularity.

While other countries realized the nutritious potential and resiliency in conditions often hostile to the cultivation of cereals, in Italy, the extensive cultivation of potatoes appeared only in the second half of the 19th century.  Probably the political divisions of Italy in so many small kingdoms prevented modern agricultural development.

POTATO GNOCCHI

  • 2,5 pounds (1 kg) white, russet or other starchy potatoes, steamed and peeled
  • 1 + 1/4 cups (300 gr.) “00” flour, plus more as needed
  • 1 large egg
  1. Push the potatoes (while still tepid/warm) through a food mill or potato ricer, onto a lightly floured work surface. In case the potatoes are too humid (moist) bake them for 5 minutes in the oven, before mashing them.
  2. Gather the potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. Sprinkle ¾ of the flour into the well and add in the egg. Mix the ingredients by hand until a soft dough forms. If necessary, add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough has a smooth, evenly moistened consistency.
  3. Lightly flour your work surface and divide the dough into at least eight portions. Roll the portions into 1-inch-thick ropes and cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over a fork to shape them, if desired.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and stir a few times with a wooden spoon to submerge and separate them. Cook at a gentle boil until the gnocchi are tender and just beginning to float, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and serve with the sauce.

Gnocchi must be eaten within 2 hours from their preparation or frozen on a paper tray covered by parchment lightly sprinkled with flour. They must be carefully separated so that they do not stick together. After 3-4 hours they can be put in a bag. NEVER THAW frozen pasta, just boil it as it is, just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.



RABBIT TUNA

Tuna and rabbit, together? Why this odd name?

A legend says that in 19th century the rules about fasting were particularly strict, and the friars in a convent of Avigliana, near Turin, decided to circumvent them by baptising their chickens and rabbits and calling them ‘tuna’ in order to eat them without sinning.

In spite of its country origin and simplicity, it is an elegant and delicious dish, perfect in every season, but particularly appreciated in summer. It was created in Piedmont, in a time where even the most modest families had barnyard animals and because it was necessary to find a way to preserve their meat, given there were no freezers, they started imitating the techniques used for tuna.

Rabbit meat is white and light, perfect for kids and all those who want or need to be careful with red meats. It is healthy and delicious – far from the sadness of eating kale or other depressing vegetables.

RABBIT TUNA

  • 1 (3-lb) rabbit carcass, cleaned with no head
  • 4-5 stems of fresh sage
  • 2 bulbs of garlic
  • sea salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 1 bottle delicate olive oil, possibly Ligurian (extra virgin)

For the broth

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 cup light dry white wine
  • 70 fl. oz. water
  • 4-5 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 stem fresh thyme
  • 3 stems of fresh parsley
  • 2 cloves
  1. Prepare an aromatic broth with basil, peppercorns, celery, onion, carrot, rosemary, bay leaves, cloves, salt, parsley, wine, and water. Let it simmer for 30 minutes and then carefully place the rabbit in the broth.
  2. Cook for 90 minutes, letting it simmer until the meat comes off the bones.
  3. In the meanwhile, wash and dry the sage leaves and clean the cloves of garlic.
  4. Take the rabbit out of the broth and when it is at room temperature bone it by hand, removing the smallest bones and gristle (cartilage). As you do it, season the meat with marine salt and freshly grounded black pepper.
  5. Prepare 4 small jars or a container, pour a bit of oil, add some meat, a clove of garlic, a couple of sage leaves, more oil, meat, garlic and sage and so on until the jar is full. Finish the last layer with garlic, sage and ¼ inch oil.
  6. Wait 2 days before serving it so the flavours have the time to blend beautifully.
  7. Serving suggestion: I highly recommend steaming 3-4 potatoes, slicing and seasoning them, and serving rabbit pieces on them with its aromatic oil.
  8. The jars can be preserved like this for a week, or frozen.

Filter the broth and freeze in 2-3 jars, it is excellent for rabbit stews or rabbit paella.

 



CARMELA’S STUFFED EGGPLANT

This recipe of stuffed eggplant was generously given me by Carmela, a very sweet woman from Puglia.

In Calabria they boil the eggplant whole and then scoop out the flesh. Of course there are many variations: stuffed with stockfish, with or without tomato, with meat…And of course each family claims its own version is the best one, and if I were you I would agree with them – just saying…

I love this one because it is vegetarian and really enhances the sweetness of ripe eggplant: capers and the herbs are totally Mediterranean.

We cannot help again to thank the Arabs who imported eggplant and gave us all these wonderful recipes that enrich the cuisine of the Mediterranean, from Lebanon to Spain.

It is a very rich dish, my advice is avoiding it for dinner, digestion is very demanding. Accompanied by a green salad, it is a perfect main course.

Carmela’s stuffed eggplant

These stuffed eggplant are a symbol of Southern Italy and summer, the season in which eggplants are ripe and sweet.

  • For tomato sauce
  • 1 (28-oz) can whole tomato purée ((preferably Italian))
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 basil leaves
  • sea salt for seasoning
  • 1 pinch chili

• In case you do not find an Italian purée you might need to add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sugar to add taste.

  • For eggplant and stuffing
  • 8 round eggplants
  • 1 oz. finely grated Parmesan
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp salted capers carefully washed
  • 3 slices firm white bread Ciabatta style, torn into 1-inch piece (about 3 oz.)
  1. Make sauce:
  2. In a saucepan brown softly garlic and onion in olive oil, add the tomato purée, basil, a pinch of chili and season with salt. Add water, you need a sauce not too concentrated. Make it simmer for at least 20-25 minutes, until the tomato sauce turns sweet.
  3. Fry eggplants and make filling while sauce simmers:
  4. Cut the stem of the eggplants, halve them lengthwise. With a small sharp knife or a spoon, scoop out and reserve flesh, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Chop flesh and transfer to a bowl.
  5. Fry the eggplants, turning over once using 2 slotted spoons, until pale brown, 3 to 5 minutes total, then transfer, stuffing sides down, to paper towels to drain.
  6. Fry the flesh in the remaining oil in the skillet, if needed add more olive oil. Strain it, squeezing the oil out of the flesh with a spoon against the strainer.
  7. When the flesh is cold, pour it in an electric mixer with chopped bread, capers, basil, celery tops, garlic, parsley, eggs and a tablespoon of tomato sauce.
  8. Spread some olive oil and 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce in a backing pan.
  9. Firmly pack the eggplant stuffing into each eggplant shell and lay them in the backing pan, stuffing sides up.
  10. With a spoon, spread the tomato sauce on the eggplants.
  11. Sprinkle generously the Parmesan on the eggplants, and bake, until Parmesan is light brown, about 40 minutes at 350 F.

 



STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTA (BAVARESE)

Strawberry panna cotta (bavarese) is a delicious dessert, ideal to celebrate Spring!

Strawberry season reaches its peak in May, offering the sweetest and most delicious flavour. This panna cotta intensifies their freshness creating a symphony of tastes in which the light sourness of lemon balances perfectly the sweetness of whipped cream.

I noticed, reading American recipe books, that panna cotta includes also the concept of bavarese, whereas the 2 cakes are quite different. While both of them are made basically with gelatin and whipping cream, panna cotta is a “white dessert” served with a chocolate sauce or a fruit compote, while bavarese includes fresh fruits, zabaglione and a wider assortment of ingredients in its own mixture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in order to follow the American system with cups and pounds, I slightly varied the quantities to adjust it compared to the Italian recipe. Decide which system you prefer, the taste is the same, the result too.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (500 gr.)sliced strawberries (1 pound)  – room temperature
  • 1 cup (250 gr.) white sugar
  • 1/2 organic lemon zest
  • 2 pkgs Knox gelatin or gelatin sheets 25 grams (about 5 sheets)
  • 2 1/3 cups (500 ml) fresh whipping cream
  • (according to your own taste) wild strawberries

Special tools: Electric blender, electric mixer, Bundt cake silicone mold, size: 9″ (Dia) x 3″ (H), 2 big bowls.

 

Instructions

Soften gelatin as directed on package in cold water OR, as in the case of gelatin sheets, place them in a bowl with lots of cold water.

Blend strawberries, sugar and the lemon juice, juice in a blender until very smooth, then pour it in a bowl.

In the other bowl whip cream until solid.

Heat gelatin over low heat in a small saucepan, stirring until dissolved (in case you are using sheets, squeeze them by hand before you put it in the saucepan).

Remove from heat and add to strawberry mixture, then add cream and whisk it into strawberry purée. Pour into mold. Be delicate but fast in order to prevent roping (making strings of gelatin).

Pour into the mold and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

To unmold, dip mold in a bowl of hot water 2 or 3 seconds, then invert panna cotta onto dessert plate and remove mold.

You can add wild strawberries in the central hole.



GNUDI, TYPICAL TUSCAN RICOTTA AND SPINACH GNOCCHI

Gnudi is a typical Tuscan dish, simple and tasty, where the filling is served in the form of gnocchi but without the pasta wrap. The name comes from ‘gnudo’ meaning naked one, in the Tuscan vernacular. The dish comes from the southern Tuscan region of Maremma, one of Italy’s areas for sheep.

In Italy in Spring we have the best ricotta, it is the time of new-borns and fresh milk. Try this recipe, you won’t regret it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

  • 20 oz. (700 gr.) raw spinach or 10 oz. block (350 gr.) frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 cup (250gr.) whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 6,5 tbsp (50 gr.) 00 flour (plus more for dusting a sheet of kitchen paper and your hands while rolling)
  • 1 pinch grated nutmeg
  • sea salt and black pepper, to season
  • 1/3 cup (50 gr.) butter
  • 5-6 sage leaves
  • 2 tbsp (30 gr.) grated Parmesan

In advance: Using a strainer over a bowl, strain the ricotta overnight in the fridge to remove all the liquid.

TIP: Cover the strainer with plastic wrap to protect the cheese from absorbing scents in the fridge as it drains.

When you are ready to start making the gnudi, cook the raw spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water until just cooked through, about 1 minute. If using frozen spinach, let defrost, or microwave.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked spinach in small batches to a sieve. Use the sieve to squeeze ALL the water out of the spinach by pushing the spinach against the sieve. Cut the spinach.

In a frying pan, fry the garlic clove in the oil, discard the garlic and sauté the spinach in the flavored oil.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse. You want to make sure the spinach is in tiny pieces and the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Dust your hands with a little flour so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.

Take 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture and roll into balls about the size of a golf ball.

Place on a plate lined with waxed paper or parchment and sprinkled with flour, so the balls don’t stick.

In a small pot, melt the butter and carefully add the sage leaves.

TIP: It is important that the sage leaves do not fry.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the gnudi.

Add the gnudi to the water one at a time and cook for 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Using a wooden spoon, carefully make sure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot as they are cooking.

When they all float to the top, use a slotted spoon to remove the gnudi and place in your plate or bowl.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, pour the melted butter with sage over the top and serve.

You can replace a part of cow milk ricotta with a bit of sheep milk one, the taste will be really intriguing. In this case, be careful when seasoning with salt.