Gnudi with Mushroom Sauce

I know, what the heck is Gnudi?  Quite simply, it's something very delicious.  It is also a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort!  It's almost like you are eating the middle of a ravioli.  To make this dish you will need:
1 15ounce container of Ricotta cheese
1 cup packed spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
Pam
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (if you can, use fresh)
4 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons Panko flavored bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper (or 3/4 teaspoon of Nature's Seasoning)
2 egg yolks
dash of nutmeg
Olive Oil
4 tablespoons of butter
Mushroom Sauce (recipe below)

1.)  Early in the day, set the ricotta in a strainer over a bowl.   Refrigerate for a minimum of four hours.

2.)  In the meantime, spray a small saute pan with Pam.  Place over medium heat.  First put in the basil leaves and top with the cup of spinach.  Saute until wilted.
3.)  Move to a plate covered with a paper towel, and refrigerate until cool.
4.)  Chop the Spinach and basil



4.)  In a bowl, combine the Ricotta, the sauteed Spinach/Basil, the grated Parmesan, the flour, the panko, the egg yolks, the dash of nutmeg and the salt and pepper (or Nature's Seasoning).  Form the dough into flat balls.  You should get around 12 2 inch balls.

5.) Drop 1 Gnudi into boiling water until they float. About 2 minutes. If they fall apart in the water, add more bread crumbs before continuing. Immediately immerse the Gnudi into an ice bath for two minutes. 
6.)  Move the Gnudi to a plate lightly covered in olive oil, and top the Gnudi with more olive oil.  Refrigerate them while you are making the mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce
Olive Oil
2 shallots, peeled and cut in half moons
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3 ounce package of dried porchini mushrooms
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup white wine
8 ounce portabello mushrooms (sliced thinly)
Big pinch of chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1.)  Rehydrate the porchini mushrooms in the 2 cups of warm water for about 15-20 minutes.  In the last few minutes, add the white wine. 

2.)  Saute the shallots in the olive oil until soft and slightly caramelized.  Add the garlic, the mushrooms, and the chili powder.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

3.)  Reserving the liquid, take the porchini mushrooms, squeeze the liquid out, chop and add to the other mushrooms.  Now add the hydrating liquid.  Allow this to cook until slightly reduced. 

4.)  Remove from heat.  You can either puree this in your blender, or with an immersion blender.  Either way, take care, you are working with hot liquid!  Return to a simmer over low heat.

5.)  In a saute pan, melt the butter and add the Gnudi to reheat and get a slight carmelization. 

6.)  Ladle some of the mushroom sauce into the bottom of a bowl and place the Gnudi on top.