spinach and ricotta gnudi

spinach and ricotta gnudi

Although spinach gnudi — soft, pillowy cheese dumplings fried in browned butter and sage — are traditionally more of a spring or summer food, I’m here to make the argument we should eat them right now, in prime soup-and-sweater weather. Because did you hear the part about warm cheese? the puddle of brown butter? the earthy sage? It’s a symphony of delicious fall things and if you tell me you don’t want to curl up on the plate and take a nap in it, fine, I’ll believe you but I do think you’re in denial. Gnudi literally means “naked” in Italian — consider them spinach and ricotta ravioli without the pasta wrapper. I think they’re better in every way because you get all of the soft, cheesy filling, none of the pasta fuss that can feel leaden together. Typically, gnudi are made with fresh greens that have been blanched and finely chopped but I’ve been on a mission over the last year to give frozen spinach (reliable! economical! seasonless!) more love, especially when all I’d planned to do with the fresh stuff was cook it down and feel bereft when it vanished. Frozen spinach saves me this heartache, and here we’re using a whole box, saving us a math headache too. Read more »

Traditional Korean Ingredients Are Transformed in Shia’s Sustainable D.C. Kitchen

Traditional Korean Ingredients Are Transformed in Shia’s Sustainable D.C. Kitchen

Celebrity chef Edward Lee, known for renowned restaurants like Succotash and winning second place on international Netflix hit Cultural Class Wars, walks through a seven-course meal at his newest project. As anon-profit, fine dining Korean restaurant focused on sustainability, Shia transforms traditional Korean techniques and ingredients in each course, like a first bite loaded with ssamjang, […]

In Search of the Yakult Lady

In Search of the Yakult Lady

When my sister and I were growing up in Nagoya, Japan, our mother would sometimes bring us to Tsuruma Park after school to let us run free. The playground, fringed by dark trees that cast shade on the Showa-era slides, always felt a little hidden, a separate place where only mothers and children could go. […]

Once Again, Goa’s Taverns Are the Place to Be

Once Again, Goa’s Taverns Are the Place to Be

“Have a magical day and night,” reads the sign at the entrance of Cifa Bar in Panaji, the capital of the coastal Indian state of Goa. Set among the narrow lanes and colonial architecture of the city’s Fontainhas neighborhood (Latin Quarter), the bar is small, just one long narrow room painted green, decorated with an altar […]

Where to Eat: Fall Back in Time

Where to Eat: Fall Back in Time

Some meals are worth traveling for. Others have the ability to transport you, not just in space, but in time. A dish from childhood can send you tumbling down memory lane. A traditional meal can bring you closer to your elders or ancestors. This kind of time travel is often emotional, sometimes communal, but always […]