Cheese

These can be served on a salad of baby greens. Toss the greens with tarragon vinaigrette and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This simple union of two splendid regional specialties is eaten throughout Emilia-Romagna.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Nudies? In Florentine dialect they’re called gnudi, nudies, poking fun at a dish from the Casentino, a neighboring area that makes their greens and ricotta gnocchi with the same filling Florentines use for ravioli. Nudies because they’re not wearing pasta. Pronounced YNOO-dees. Spinach is used in Florence but wild greens are common in the mountainous Casentino. And ravioli are stuffed with wild greens in many regional recipes. Use wild greens if you can get them, otherwise use chard or spinach, whichever is fresh and tender. Traditionalists may want to search for sheep’s milk ricotta, which yields richer results, but everyone else can get by with whole cow’s milk ricotta. Drain watery ricotta in a metal sieve for 30 minutes if necessary. Cooks in search of a labor-intensive experience can form nudies by hand, one at a time, or use the 2-spoon French quenelle method. I prefer to pipe the mixture from a plastic bag onto a floured countertop, sprinkle the blobs with flour, and lightly roll to form walnut-sized, roughly shaped balls. Serve the nudies with melted butter or tomato or meat sauce, sprinkled with Parmigiano, and baked in the oven to melt the cheese.

The recipe calls for purchased roasted chicken, which eliminates a step.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Delicious with roasted meats or chicken.

Laurie likes to use 1/3 cup each of white cheddar and orange cheddar.

We seasoned this salad — based on the Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush — with za'atar, a mixture of salt, sumac, sesame, and thyme.

Steve Delaney, West Chester, Pa.
"My recipe reflects the Caribbean influences in the foods of Miami, where I lived for many years."

Any kind of smooth fresh cheese may be used to make coeur à la crème. Flavor will vary with the type of cheese used and also with the proportion of cream added. French fromage frais, English curd cheese, and American farmer cheese are all suitable for this dessert which should be prepared two days before serving.