Fresh and Easy was given to me by a friend about a year ago. It is hands-down the most beautiful cookbook I own and I cannot get enough of it. Its step by step process with stunning comprehensive photos is amazing. If you'd like to purchase it for yourself, click here.
This easy (but time consuming) recipe is one of our favorites from the summer. Gnudi is a cousin to gnocci (my favorite) and a healthier option as it doesn't contain the carb-heavy potatoes. If you've got a little time for the fava bean / gnudi prep this one won't disappoint:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups ricotta cheese, drained of any liquid
1 egg
1 bunch fresh basil
1 organic lemon
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus a handful more for shaping
1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs (I used plain bread crumbs and they worked just fine)
2 1/4 lb fresh fava beans
2 cloves garlic
6 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried chili flakes (I used more as we like a nice kick to our food)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Put the ricotta and egg into a large mixing bowl. Roughly chop half the basil leaves, add to the mixture, then finely grate in the zest of the lemon and three-quarters of the Parmesan. Season with plenty of pepper and a little salt. Reserve the lemon.
2. Beat the ingredients together until smooth, then sift in the flour and add the bread crumbs.
3. Stir the flour and bread crumbs into the ricotta mixture. Put plenty of flour in a large baking pan or something similar, and have a floured plate ready. Spoon a couple of generous teaspoons of the gnudi mixture separately into the flour in the pan, then roll them around in the flour until well coated. Shape the gnudi with dry hands to make a smooth ball or oval. Put onto the floured plate, then repeat with the rest of the mixture. Chill the gnudi for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. This will firm up the gnudi and make them ready for cooking.
4. Prepare the fava beans. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil While it comes to a boil, break the pods and pop the beans out (I would pay someone to do this -- it was extremely time consuming and a royal pain in the a--.) Discard the pods.
5. Boil the beans for 3 minutes, by which point they should have floated to the top of the pan. Drain in a strainer (sieve) and cool under cold running water, then remove the bright green beans from their pale green skins (again, grab a helper if you can, this takes time). Cool under cold running water and set aside for later.
6. When you're ready to cook the gnudi, bring a large, deep pan of well-salted water to a boil and put some serving plates in a low oven to warm. Add half the gnudi to the pan (drop them in carefully, one at a time, so they wont stick). They will rise up to the surface. Once this has happened, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then lift out and onto the warmed plates. Repeat until all of the gnudi are cooked. When ready, the gnudi will feel firm and bounce back when pressed lightly.
7. Just before serving, prepare the buttery sauce. Crush the garlic. Heat a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, add the butter and let it melt. Add the garlic and chili flakes, then sizzle for 1 minute.
8. Add the shelled fava beans and remaining basil leaves and splash in a good squeeze of juice from the lemon - the butter will sizzle a little here and turn slightly golden. Season generously.
9. Spoon the garlic and bean butter over the gnudi, then serve with the rest of the parmesan for grating.
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