Baked Ndunderi

Today I am back with a traditional recipe from the south of Italy: Baked Ndunderi (pronounced “doon-der-ee”) . Ndunderi are hand-made gnocchi-like pasta from the Amalfi Coast, near Naples. I must admit that, unfortunately, this pasta is not very well known around Italy, which is a real pity as it tastes amazing. Ndunderi are a very ancient form of pasta and are even recognized as such by UNESCO. In Roman times, they were made with spelt flour and curdled milk, but nowadays they are made with all purpose flour, egg yolks and ricotta. Even though the recipe is similar to the one for ricotta gnocchi, the final result is bigger in size and less fluffy… the texture is more similar to pasta than gnocchi. Today I will show you how to make Ndunderi pasta by hand and I will also show you how to cook them. I love to serve them with a simple tomato sauce, cover them with smoked scamorza and grated Parmigiano Reggiano and bake them until the cheese melts. YUM! This dish would be a great addition to your holiday menu! Buon appetito!

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Baked Ndunderi

Baked Ndunderi - a tutorial on how to make hand-made gnocchi-like pasta from the Amalfi Coast, near Naples.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

• 1 onion chopped
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 300 gms – 10 oz. cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 basil leaves
• Salt to taste

Ndunderi

• 250 gms – 9 oz. ricotta
• 3 egg yolks
• 200 gms – 1 ½ cups or a bit more all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano finely grated
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg

Assembling

• 150 gms – 5 oz. smoked scamorza chopped or sliced
• Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated

Instructions

Tomato Sauce

1. Put the chopped onion in a pot. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lightly fry them on a low flame until soft.
2. Now add the tomatoes and break these apart with the wooden spoon. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the basil leaves and salt to taste and remove from the fire.
   

Ndunderi

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well.
2. When they are well combined put the mixture on a board and knead well, adding extra flour (if required) until the dough stops sticking to your hands.
   
3. Divide the dough in 8 to 10 balls. Roll each ball of dough using your fingertips into ropes about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick.
4. Then cut the ropes of dough into 3.5 cm (1.5 inch) pieces and place them on a floured tray.
5. Give the ‘ndunderi their traditional shape, by rolling them on the ribs of a fork with your thumb or by using a gnocchi tool.
   
6. To cook the ‘ndunderi, take a large pot and fill it with water. Put the pot on the fire and add a handful of sea salt into the water. When the water is boiling, put the pasta in. Simmer until cooked through (you will need to taste them as the exact time can vary based on the thickness, type of flour, when you made them etc.).
7. Drain the ‘ndunderi and put them in the pan with the tomato sauce. Mix well.

Assembling

1. Put the ‘ndunderi mixed with the tomato sauce in an oven proof dish and top with the smoked scamorza. Sprinkle with some finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
   
2. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

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