Keeping warm and full, mostly full, is the best thing you can do when it hits negative five degrees in Chicago. A lot of people will turn to gnocchi, lasagna, or a long stewed ragu; I on the other hand will always turn to gnudi. Pillowy balls of ricotta and semolina, much like gnocchi but much easier to make and much more comforting.

I made a really simple olive oil mushroom sauce, but of course you can use just about anything to coat these or nothing at all. They’re also wonderful reheated if you toast them on a skillet and are super easy to freeze and always have on hand.

Side note: I used weights for this recipe just because it was easier when scaling out everything. I usually make these by just using my eye to measure but that doesn’t really work when you’re writing out a recipe.

Gnudi

Serves 10

Five-hundred-and-thirty grams of semolina flour, plus one hundred separated

Two and one third pounds of the freshest ricotta you can get

Ninety grams of pecorino romano, grated

two tablespoons of salt

Porcini Mushroom Sauce

one fourth cup of porcini mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped

one cup of Villa Graziella extra virgin olive oil

two tablespoons of butter, cubed

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl into well combined.

Fill another bowl with the separate hundred grams of semolina.

Being breaking off chunks of the dough and roll into balls. They should weigh about forty five grams, or a ball slightly larger than a golf ball.

Toss each in the bowl of semolina so they’re completely cover, place onto a baking sheet. Repeat this process until they’re all done. This should give you forty gnudi.

Cover the sheet with the whatever remaining semolina there is.

Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour but preferably two or three days. This helps develop a crust so they don’t fall apart when boiling.

To make the sauce add the porcini mushrooms and olive oil to a hot pan and allow the mushrooms to cook down for about five minutes. While this is being done begin cooking the gnudi.

Once you’re ready to cook them, boil them in well salted water for about four to five minutes and drain. I batch cook these at about eight gnudi a batch.

Add the cubed butter to the saucepan as well as one or two spoonfuls of pasta water, whisk everything together. Bring the heat down to low.

Add the gnudi to the saucepan, tossing to evenly coat.

Plate up the gnudi and you can top these with an extra drizzle of Villa Graziella Olive Oil, little parmesan, and some cracked pepper or just eat them as is. These are sure to keep you warm and full all winter.