Beet Gnudi For Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day falls on a Friday this year, so the simpler your home-cooked meal for that special someone, the better. The colorful, melt-in-your-mouth morsels found in beet gnudi make for a perfect plate that's not difficult to make. The name "gnudi" comes from naked, because the meal itself is the filling of the ravioli without its pasta shell. Made from cheese, in this case ricotta, the gnudi are light and fluffy.

I went to La Scuola's in New York City's Eataly for a personal gnudi-making lesson from executive chef Alicia Walter. In the video above, she and I choose the different kinds of beets and the ricotta for our gnudi and then mix the dough. In Part 2, which you can see here, Alicia teaches me how to quenelle and we cook our gnudi. Part 3 is finishing the plate, while Alicia also gives recommendations for the perfect salad and dessert to accompany the beet gnudi. 

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