Paneer and Parmigiano Reggiano gnudi with saag, cavolo nero, preserved lemon and pine nuts

This dish is inspired by a short film I saw, which documented a crisis in the
Italian dairy industry a decade ago, when they were struggling to recruit a
workforce. Local people were no longer interested in working the long
hours required for such little financial compensation, so the solution had
to come from abroad. A programme was set up to bring in Punjabi workers
from North India, who were known to be experts at handling livestock such
as cows and buffalos.

Marrying Indian and Italian culinary traditions, this dish tells the story of
two nations coming together, and is a love letter to those migrant workers.
It combines homemade Indian paneer with Parmigiano to make meltingly
light gnudi (a sort of gnocchi without the starchiness of potatoes), which
are then served with Italian cavolo nero and Punjabi saag – a spiced
spinach purée.

Serves 6
Time: A couple of hours
Course: Main course

INGREDIENTS

For the paneer gnudi:
2 l whole milk
1 lemon, juice of
7g egg yolk (about half an egg yolk)
50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
a good grating of nutmeg
black pepper
200g semolina flour
30g ghee
For the saag:
500g baby spinach
30g ghee
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
20g butter

For the cavolo nero:
2 bunches of cavolo nero
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 lemon
sea salt and black pepper
60ml extra virgin olive oil
To garnish:
2 preserved lemons, finely chopped (rind only)
3 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

PREPARATION

1. To make the paneer, simply bring the milk up to boiling point in a
saucepan, then stir in the lemon juice. Take it off the heat and set
aside for 10 minutes. It should have curdled, and the curds and whey
should be separate.

2. Line a sieve with muslin and pour in the curds and whey, catching
the curds in the muslin and discarding the whey. Run cold water over
the curds to wash off any excess whey, then gather in the muslin and
squeeze out any liquid. There you have it – beautiful homemade
paneer!

3. In a bowl, knead the paneer with the egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano,
nutmeg and a pinch of black pepper until well combined. Roll the
gnudi into little balls or barrels (roughly 10g each). Cover a tray with
half of the semolina flour, lay over the gnudi in a single layer, then
sprinkle over the remaining semolina flour. Refrigerate, uncovered,
for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight, until you are ready to
cook them. The semolina will form a thin crust around the gnudi.

4. For the saag, blanch the spinach in boiling water for a few seconds
until wilted, then refresh in ice-cold water (reserving the hot water to
cook the cavolo nero later). Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid,
then purée in a blender until smooth.

5. Melt the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat, then add
the chopped onion and cumin seeds to fry for 5 minutes, or until soft
and sweet, stirring regularly. Stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli, and
cook for a further 2 minutes until aromatic. Fold in the spinach
purée, season well with sea salt and pepper and cook until the
onions and spinach are well combined, then stir through the butter
so the saag is lovely and glossy.

6. Remove and discard the tough stems from the cavolo nero, then
roughly chop and blanch the leaves in the reserved boiling water for
1 minute. Scoop out and refresh in ice-cold water, then squeeze to
remove any excess liquid. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a gentle
heat in a medium frying pan, then stir in the garlic and chilli and fry
for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the cavolo nero, grate over the
lemon zest, squeeze in the juice and season to taste.

7. To cook the gnudi, boil in a large pan of salted water for around 2
minutes, until they rise up to the surface. Meanwhile, heat the ghee in
a large frying pan. Drain the gnudi with a slotted spoon and transfer
to the pan, then fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
all over (you may need to fry in batches).

8. Spoon the saag into the base of warmed bowls, followed by the
cavolo nero, then top each portion with about 5 gnudi. Finish with
the finely chopped preserved lemon, toasted pine nuts and plenty of
grated Parmigiano Reggiano.


#TheOnlyParmesan #ParmigianoReggiano