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!
Baked Ndunderi
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
Ndunderi
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Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well.
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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.
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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.
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Then cut the ropes of dough into 3.5 cm (1.5 inch) pieces and place them on a floured tray.
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Give the ‘ndunderi their traditional shape, by rolling them on the ribs of a fork with your thumb or by using a gnocchi tool.
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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.).
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Drain the ‘ndunderi and put them in the pan with the tomato sauce. Mix well.
Hi Manu!
Just dropping by to thank you for all the awesome easy to follow recipes. I’ve made busiati, ndunderi and your zucchini quiche so far. My Sicilian boyfriend and his Italian colleagues all gave their thumbs up. I’m so proud of myself!! I’m looking forward to try many more of your recipes.
Thank you again for your gener out sharing of many regional Italian recipes.
Just found your blog, and love it, ad I love Italian cuisine!
Made this today, mixing all purpose flour with dpelt flour. It is really delicious, I will be making it in the future!
Ow this was as nice as the recipe suggested.
I treat myself to one heavy meal a week and this was the one.
Really really nice. Will definitely be adding this to my list of Italian recipes.
Thank you!
Will make love Italian food