Canederli belong to the traditional recipes of Northern Italy. Peasant cooking at its best: stale bread milk and cheeses. An harmoniously rich creation that is traditionally served in a broth as a soup. I like them dry, more like a pasta with a creamy sauce. Here is my version. Hope you will love it as much as I do!!
Ingredienti
- 200 gstale bread (I use sourdough)
- 100 gbread crumbs (I use Italian style or homemade)
- 200 gRicotta (Full fat, please)
- 2eggs, large
- 1cup of MIlk (whole)
- 1 ciuffoParsley (4 T minced)
- 1 cucchiaioNutritional Yeast (A generous tablespoon)
- 1 cucchiaioDry onion flakes (A generous Tablespoon)
- 1 pizzicoNutmeg (To taste, grated)
- 1 pizzicoSalt (To taste)
- 1 pizzicoPepper (To taste)
- 2 spicchiGarlic cloves (Minced)
- 3 cucchiaiAP flour (1/4 cup scant, as needed)
- 50 gBacon Bits (OPTIONAL for non vegetarian)
WALNUT SAUCE
- 3 tazzeWaltnut peaces (Toasted.)
- 3 cucchiaiBreadcrumbs (Italian)
- 1 spicchioClove of garlic minced (Large)
- 4 cucchiaiButter, melted (Unsalted)
- 3 tazzeHalf and Half (Also Greek yogurt works well)
- 1 tazzaPecorino cheese grated (Or Parmigiano cheese)
Preparazione
For the gnocchi, soak the stale bread in the hot milk for about 20 min, until fully incorporated. Meanwhile mix the ricotta with the remaining ingredients. I taste it before I add the eggs to see if it needs more “action” in this case I might add extra Pecorino, salt or even lemon zest. Also I taste the bread/milk mix to see if it needs a pinch of salt. Once the bread is reduce to almost a paste by the milk, and is no longer hot, I add it to the ricotta mix. You should get a dough that is soft but not runny. Shape into small balls, about 2 Tbs each. I use a cookie scoop (nbr 30) to get a more uniform size. Let dry on a lined baking sheet (or freeze for later use) while you cook the sauce.
NOTE: this recipe will make more gnocchi than needed for the sauce, so you can freeze about 1/3 to 1/2 of the batch.
WALNUT SAUCE
For the sauce: Melt the butter and garlic in a saucepan. When fragrant add the remaining ingredients to make a sauce, rich and thick. It will get a bit thinner with the pasta water.
Assembling the dish
Boil the dumplings dunking them (gently) into a pot of boiling salted pasta water. Do not boil on high. Gently simmer so won’t damage the bread dumplings. Once done they will come afloat, then fish them out with a spider or slotted spoon and gently add them to the sauce. Repeat with all the dumplings, adding pasta water as needed. Plate and garnish with more grated cheese and a drizzle of Olive oil. Enjoy!!
