Fading

It was 33 degrees out when I left for work this morning. In the dark. In my full-length down coat. 33. People. I am not ready for this. One of the things we love most about New England is the fall, and I feel like it’s almost behind us, whizzing past like the vibrant foliage as I head home on the train in the evening, in the dark.

The change of seasons is always difficult for me physically, and this rapid drop in temperatures, the cold and damp, is particularly hard. I have no energy and I ache right to my core, and of course, I’m reacting by taking on Projects in the kitchen. Like these gnudi.

The last time I made gnudi was far too long ago, and since we have some of the best darned ricotta around, I figured it was high time I worked with it in this application.

I treated the ricotta much like I did in my most recent batch of ricotta gnocchi, draining it and beating it until fluffy, then incorporating chopped cooked chard, a beaten egg, salt, pepper, lemon zest, grated parm, and flour. I rolled out two dozen little dumplings, cooked them in plenty of boiling salted water until they bobbed to the top, then sauced them with a zippy lemon and thyme-infused butter, finishing them with crunchy little lemon-thyme breadcrumbs. It was, perhaps, a little fussy for a weeknight dish, but it was totally worth it, a welcome bright spot in an otherwise dreary day.