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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On a wooden pastry board pour the flour in a mound, make a hole at its center and pour the egg.

Add sugar, vinegar and olive oil in it to the mound.

Starting with a fork, slowly add the flour to the liquid in the middle, gradually adding more flour all the time. Mix well.

When all the flour is mixed in, start to knead the dough.

When smooth, roll out by hand using a rolling pin, turning as you work.

Roll the dough into a sheet about 2 mm thick. If using a pasta machine, continue to feed dough through rollers once at each setting, without folding, until you reach the second to narrowest setting.

Cut the dough in diamonds, to about 10cm (4”) long.

Carefully place the pieces into the oil. Fry the diamonds a few pieces at a time, turning carefully with two forks to gently lift each piece. The dough will bubble as it cooks.

When light brown, remove and let cool on paper towel. Sprinkle the icing sugar while still warm, and serve.