Tofu Gnudi - Two Recipes

tofu gnudi made from the Washington Post recipe

Gnudi is a funny-looking word. It's not, however, pronounced as spelled. The G is silent, "noo-dee." Yes, it sounds like "nudie," and essentially that's what the word means--naked. Gnudi are ricotta dumplings that could be the lovechild of gnocchi and ravioli filling, less-starchy than the former and more-starchy than the latter. Generally, they are made from ricotta cheese and enough flour to keep them from becoming cheese sauce once they hit boiling water. I like gnudi, and find them a bit easier to make than gnocchi. (I tried making potato gnocchi exactly once, with disastrous results, and have no plans to try again.) But now that I am lactose intolerant--and a bit of a broken record on that point, sorry--it doesn't make sense for me to make ricotta dumplings of any sort. When I found a gnudi recipe in the Washington Post that suggested firm tofu could replace the dairy, I made them post-haste.

Sadly, there was far too much moisture between the combination of spinach, artichoke hearts, and tofu, and the dough was too soft and sticky to make proper dumplings. Perhaps if the recipe had instructed cooks to press the tofu in addition to draining it, and omitted the artichoke, they could have been better? In any case, the artichoke added no discernible flavor, so why waste the money? I added nearly twice the flour called for and doubled the seasonings, so the dumplings ended up tasty but messy. The first batch leached so much of themselves into the cooking water, it was hard to see what was dumpling and what was just lumpy water.

Washington Post Tofu Gnudi

The Post recipe called for a beurre blanc-ish sauce of vegan butter, white wine, and lemon juice, which sounded boring. Instead, I made a raw tomato sauce. Pesto would be nice, as well. And because I like a little crunch with my soft and squishy food, I crushed up some garlic croutons and hazelnuts for the top.

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

8 ounces fresh spinach (regular or baby), roughly chopped

One (14-ounce) package firm or extra-firm tofu, drained

1 cup (8 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour

In a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and garlic and cook, stirring until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes. (Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to cook the spinach in batches.)

In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, artichokes, nutritional yeast, zest, salt, pepper and nutmeg and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add the wilted spinach and process until the mixture is a uniform green, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and process until incorporated, about 30 seconds more. Taste, and season with more salt, if desired.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two large spoons, shape dumplings slightly larger than cherry tomatoes (roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons’ worth) and begin to carefully slide balls of the batter into the boiling water. Work in batches and avoid crowding the pot. Boil the gnudi until they are bobbing in the water, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer them to a platter and repeat with the remaining batter, if needed.

Tofu gnudi with spinach and a raw tomato sauce, made from a recipe generated by Chat GPT.

There was potential in the tofu gnudi concept, and I was willing to try again. Rather than search for another recipe on the web, I turned to Artificial Intelligence. The very first recipe I generated via Chat GPT seemed reasonable. I was pretty sure it would work better than the WaPo recipe, but I worried that it could have the opposite problem: dryness. Perhaps an egg would be needed to bind it all together. I wasn't sure that the small amount of lemon juice and oil would be enough.  

I used a food processor instead of my hands or a fork because I didn't want to work that hard. Rather than adding the ingredients to the processor in the order they appear in the recipe, I put in the tofu, nooch, basil, and 1/4 cup of the flour (I used oat flour) and whizzed that into a bunch of moist crumbs. I then added the lemon juice and oil and gave it another spin. Surprisingly, the dough came together quite well. I pinched a bit off and was able to roll a clean ball in my hands. I scraped it into a bowl and allowed the dough to rest in the fridge until I was ready to make dinner.

About half an hour before dinner, I removed the dough from the fridge and formed it into 28 sorta-equal balls, each of which I flattened lightly with a fork. I poured water into my largest sauté pan, enough to fill it about 2/3 of the way, and brought the water to a boil. After adding a pinch of salt, I put ten of the gnudi in the pan and hoped for the best. After 3 minutes, I gently flipped them with a fork and cooked them another 3 minutes. There was very little leaching of the batter into the water, though there was some. It was impressive how well the gnudi kept their puck-like shape. I cooked the rest in two batches, adding more water to the pan each time. I placed half of the cooked gnudi into a container with a light film of olive oil and put it in the fridge for later in the week. The rest I served with a raw tomato sauce and some sautéed spinach.

This version I will make again. Next time, I'll flavor it with a couple tablespoons of dehydrated tomato powder and cut back on the nutritional yeast. Perhaps I'll try artichokes again, but as part of the sauce.

ChatGPT-generated Tofu Gnudi 

14 ounces (400g) firm tofu, drained and pressed

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, crumble the drained and pressed tofu using your hands or a fork.

Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, flour, chopped basil, chopped parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the tofu. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly combined and form a cohesive dough-like consistency.

Dust a clean surface with flour. Take a small portion of the tofu mixture and roll it between your palms to form a small ball. Place the gnudi on the floured surface and repeat until all the mixture is used. You should have approximately 20-24 gnudi.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a gentle boil. Carefully drop the gnudi into the boiling water in batches. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the gnudi float to the surface. Remove them using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.

Note: If desired, you can sauté the cooked gnudi in a little olive oil until lightly browned for added texture before serving.

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Posted on Minxeats.com.

Sláinte

For the past six years, Fells Point's Sláinte has been serving up Irish-inflected pub grub and earning accolades such as the City Paper's "Best Sports Bar" of 2008 and Baltimore Magazine's "Best Place for Breakfast" in 2009. While this was all well and good, owners Patrick and Katie Russell (who also own Kooper's next door) decided that what the Baltimore area really needed was a gastropub, the kind of place where the food is at least as important as--if not more than--the libations. After trips to New York to scope out famous gastropubs like The Spotted Pig and The Breslin and hiring a new chef in the form of Bill Crouse (formerly of Sotto Sopra), the Russells have upgraded their fare while still keeping the folks who just want a burger or some corned beef and cabbage happy.

While the menu looks like a pretty straightforward selection of British pub favorites, if you look closely you'll notice items like mushroom gnudi (a gnocchi-like dumpling, popularized in recent years by The Spotted Pig), poutine (the Québécois staple of gravy- and cheese curd-smothered French fries), and a Duroc pork loin with crispy spaetzle and a pink peppercorn and goat cheese sauce.

Lured by the mention of exotic game birds on Sláinte's Restaurant Week menu, Mr Minx and I had planned on trying the restaurant in late January, but with the intermittent freezing rain and otherwise generally crappy weather, we chose to stay home and avoid the ice. However, on a recent evening when the weather was cold and windy but otherwise precipitation-free, we partook of a media dinner to sample some of the items on Slainté's updated menu.

Ploughman's Platter

We were welcomed with glasses of Rutherford Ranch Chardonnay and a sampling of appetizers, including the "Ploughman's Platter" featuring smoked trout, grilled artichoke, soppressata, Roaring 40s blue cheese, tomato aspic, Merlot jelly, and apple, served with slices of toasted bread. It was a far cry from the Ploughman's lunch I had in a London pub many years ago, consisting of huge slabs of cheddar, dry bread, and a dollop of Branston pickle (a vinegary, chutney-like condiment that is an acquired taste for those not born in Blighty).  Sláinte's version would make a good lunch or light supper on its own, and would otherwise be a nice shared appetizer.

Mushroom gnudi

We were also brought platters of the addictive mushroom gnudi, fried to a crispy brown and served with brown butter, sage, and lashings of cheese. Owner Patrick Russell is a self-proclaimed "mushroom-hater" and even he had to admit that these tidbits were nothing short of delicious.

Cornflour Calamari with smoked pepper aioli and beet chips

Also sampled were PEI mussels steamed in white wine with tomato, basil, and garlic, and the spiced cornflour calamari which came with a smoked pepper aioli that had quite a nice kick to it.

Fish and Chips

After those goodies, we were brought three entrées to sample: fish and chips with a side of cole slaw; the Guinness Sunday roast; and the grilled Duroc pork loin. Chef Crouse's fish and chips were an outstanding version of the classic dish, the fish sporting a batter--made with Baltimore's own Heavy Seas lager-- so flavorful that it didn't need the usual dousing with malt vinegar or tartar sauce. The slaw, based on Chef Crouse's grandmother's recipe, was a nice light rendition, without the mayonnaise-y gloppiness that can mar this salad, and a subtle dilly tang. The pork loin's crisp spaetzel bed was a nice counterpoint to the creamy sauce and the subtly-cumin-scented pork itself. Accompanying the entrées was an unusually dry and licorice-y, but very drinkable, Cono Sur Merlot.

Duroc Pork with spaetzle

For dessert, we were brought a Jameson whiskey bread pudding and platters of piping hot zeppole, or Italian fried dough. While the bread pudding was moist and rich, the zeppole stole the show, particularly when dipped in the accompanying bowl of rich chocolate ganache.

Zeppole

Overall, the food was of high quality and we were quite pleased with everything - "well chuffed" as they might say in the UK. The favorites at our table were the gnudi, the fish and chips, the spaetzle, and the zeppole; the tender calamari was a personal favorite, particularly the smoky spicy sauce (which would be great on a burger). It was a meal I'd have been happy to have paid for, and we plan to return again very soon.

Chef Crouse says he hopes to add more gastropub-inspired dishes to the menu, and to watch for upcoming seasonal changes. After this meal, and a few years of dining on his fare at Sotto Sopra, I dare say the man can make even corned beef and cabbage taste good.

Sláinte 

1700 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-563-6600