Beetroot canederli

How it is made

Quantities are for 4 people, about 12 canederli. The steps are in the order you do them.

1. cut the bread into one centimetre cubes and put it in a large bowl
2. blend the beetroot with the milk to a smooth cream of a full red, and pour it over the bread. Leave to stand for twenty minutes, turning once: the bread must go soft and evenly pink
3. soften the onion in the butter without colouring it, and add it to the bread
4. add the eggs, the grated smoked ricotta, the chives, salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg, and work with your hands until it holds together
5. if the mixture stays too soft add the flour a spoonful at a time: beetroot carries a lot of water and the amount changes every time. Try one dumpling on its own in boiling water before shaping the rest, which is how not to discover the problem with twelve balls already made
6. let the mixture rest for twenty minutes covered, then shape balls the size of a tennis ball with wet hands
7. cook them in salted water at the barest simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes: they are ready when they rise and stay firm
8. drain and dress them with melted butter, grated smoked ricotta and chives. They are served dry: in broth the colour is lost in the plate