Roasted Carrot Gnudi with Dill Beurre Blanc

I know I some time wax poetic about my love for farmers markets, but they really are a true inspiration for me. Wandering through the stalls marveling at all the fresh produce my wheels just begin to churn and my creative juices start flowing. And not only for the jam and preserves I obsessively put by, but for creative and fresh ways to dine from all the beautiful abundance. I religiously attend one of my local markets, but I also visit markets when I travel, just so marvel offer all the produce. There is a vendor at my local market that makes his own fresh ricotta cheese and I pick some up almost every time I’m there. I use it in a lot of ways, but in the spring I love it spread on a slice of bread fresh from one of the market bakers, topped with berries and drizzled with local honey.  Once he asked me what I was planning to do with it, and before I could really think it through, I answered “gnudi.” As I turned to view another stall, I lovely bunch of carrots called out to me, and as a headed home my mind put together the idea of a combination. I made this dish for several weeks, experimenting with different sauces and techniques, just as special treat for myself. But when hit on the classic beurre blanc, punched up with dill, carrots perfect partner, I knew I really had something. I posted a picture on social media and recipe requests started coming in, so here you go.

A dish like this is so simple, it is always about the best ingredients. I buy fresh, small carrots at the farmers market. If you don’t have that option, look for smaller, firm carrots that haven’t been sitting around at the market for a long time and avoid large hard ones. I also buy freshly made ricotta at the farmers market, but look for a high quality Italian style whole milk ricotta and drain it if it has a lot of liquid. Real parmiggiano cheese makes a difference too. And splurge on some European style butter for the sauce to make it extra rich and flavorful. This makes enough for 2 generous servings, but can easily be doubled.

Roasted Carrot Gnudi with Dill Beurre Blanc

For the Gnudi:

12 ounces fresh, young carrots

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 Tablespoon fill fronds

8 ounces ricotta, drained if it is particularly wet

2 egg yolks

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup grated parmigianno-reggiano cheese

1 ½ cups semolina flour

For the Beurre Blanc:

1 large shallot, finely diced

1 cup white wine

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 Tablespoons finely chopped dill

Salt and pepper

For the Gnudi:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper.

Peel the carrots and cut into evenly sized, rough chunks. Place on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil – just enough to lightly coat the carrots, you don’t want lots of oil pooling on the pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes until soft when pierced with a knife and browned in some places. Cool completely.

Put the carrots in the bowl of a food processor, add the dill and blend until you have a rough puree (a little texture is good). Add the ricotta and egg yolks and blend until smooth, then scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the flour and cheese and generous pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper and blend until completely combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

Spread the semolina in a thick layer on the bottom of a low, flat container. Scoop out about  a tablespoon of the carrot mixture at a time and drop directly into the semolina. I use a small cookie scoop which I highly recommend. Roll the ball over in the semolina, then pick It up and toss it lightly between your hands to round it off and shake off any excess semolina. Place the ball in the corner of the container on top of te semolina. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and spread the finished gnudi out, not touching each other, on top of the semolina. Place int the regrigertor uncovered for a few hours. Remove from the fridge at elast 30 minutes before cooling. (Storing the gnudi in the semolina absorbs excess moisture so the cook up light and fluffy). 

For the Beurre Blanc:

Put the shallot and wine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is almost totally evaporated and the shallots have a nice glaze. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in a few cubes of butter until melted and smooth. The butter must be cold for the sauce to emulsify. Continue until all the butter is incorporated. The butter should melt into the sauce from the residual heat, but as you add the butter to the sauce the temperature lowers, so when it is not melting easily, return the pan to the very lowest heat and whisk constantly. When all ethe butter is melted and the sauce is thick and almost creamy, whisk in the lemon zest and juice, then the dill and salt and pepper to taste.

While you are making the beurre blanc, bring a large pot of very well salted water to a boil. When the sauce is done, gently shake any excess semolina off the gnudi and drop them in the water. Cook until the gnudi float to the top, about 3 – 5 minutes, then remove to a colander with a slotted spoon. Spread the gnudi in a serving dish or individual bowls and drizzled with the beurre blanc.

Serves 2