Naked spinach and ricotta dumplings

In Italian these are known as gnudi (nu-dee) – well they are just good.

Ingredients

250 g	Baby spinach (Main)
400 g	Ricotta (Main)
2	Eggs
3 Tbsp	Grated parmesan cheese
1 pinch	Nutmeg
35 g	Flour, plus more for dusting
80 g	Cold butter
16	Sage leaves (Main)
6 tsp	Balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Blanch spinach in salted boiling water for around 5-10 seconds then refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain spinach and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible (drained weight should be approximately 100-125g).
2. Finely chop spinach and place in a large bowl. Add ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, flour, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place in refrigerator for around 20-40 minutes until well chilled.
3. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium heat. Roll balls in flour and shake off excess. Drop balls into salted water and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Carefully remove dumplings using a slotted spoon and set aside in a warm place.
4. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming then add sage leaves and cook until crisp. The butter should begin to brown but be careful not to burn it.
5. Divide the dumplings between serving plates. Pour sage butter over dumplings, drizzle a tsp of balsamic over each portion, garnish with more parmesan if you wish and serve.

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