Beet Green Gnudi (Dumplings)

 

I was lucky enough to get a large bunch of beets recently. I wanted the beets for another dish. I saw the fresh greens as an added bonus. I wanted to use them in something different.

I decided to make little dumplings, or gnudi, with it. When done right, gnudi are tender and delicate. Kind of like gnocchi, but made without the potatoes. The picture does not do them justice. They taste great, but look plain. I sometimes call them my ugly dumplings. 🙂

I served mine tossed in butter and topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. We also added some of them to vegetable soup last night. If you are trying to get your family to eat more greens- try making these. You could also use spinach, Swiss chard or other greens, if you prefer. When using greens like kale or collards, cook the greens a few minutes longer to be sure they will be tender.

Beet Green Gnudi

1 bunch beet, stem ends trimmed
1 c. whole milk ricotta
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for sprinkling
¼ c. dried minced onion
1 egg
½ t. salt
¼ t. fresh ground pepper
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
¾ c. flour, plus extra for rolling
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the beet greens in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; cool. Squeeze leaves until very dry; place in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop chard. You can also hand chop them fine for more pieces of the greens in the finished gnudi.  Remove to a bowl. Add ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, onion, egg,  salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir to blend.  Add ¾ cup flour; stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate dough overnight, or at least an hour. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon some flour onto a cutting board. Working in batches, place a handful of the dough on the floured cutting board and roll into logs. Cut into 1-inch long pieces. Continue with reamaining dough until all the dumplings are cut. Tap off excess flour; transfer to prepared baking sheet. They can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Bring large wide pot of salted water to boil. Slide dumplings into pot; cook until they float to the top, about 4-5 minutes. They are very tender so remove from water gently. Toss in butter and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.