Gnudi is fun to say, don't ya think? Basically it's gnocchi twice the size. Which is also fun to say. But are gnudi twice as fun to eat? Well, I leave that for you to decide. Because these light as air pea and ricotta gnudi are easy to make too. Easier than gnocchi, because it's a little less fussy in the forming of the little pillows.

This dish is pretty on the plate as well. Peas make it a super seasonal recipe. I like to finish this with bacon and mint so the flavors are full and diverse, making the airy texture all the more exciting.

But before I get to the gnudi recipe though, let's talk gnocchi. As close as I can figure gnocchi (pronounced nee-O-key) means "little lumps". One look at a proper gnocchi and you can see why. But they did not call them little potato lumps so I figure there is room for extemporizing. Which means in my opinion there is no reason to strictly limit myself to little lumps of potato, semolina or even ricotta dough.

And beyond that, it seems there are two schools of thought on gnocchi. They can be chewy or they can be pillowy. In my opinion they both have their place on my plate. Traditionally the chewier varieties are potato based. The dough is drier and easy to roll out. Their light as air cousins often start out life as ricotta. They are more difficult to handle. But handled well they reward you with little pillows of luscious texture.

I realize that calling the mushrooms in this bruschetta wild-like may sound a bit odd– maybe even downright unappetizing. You see, I'm trapped by the dilemma of my own impossible standards. The older and crankier I get, the more I find myself irritated by the deliberate mislabeling of items on restaurant menus, in fancy-pants grocery stores and yes– even on some of the best blogs out there. Words should have meaning. Labels should be accurate. Shorthand went the way of secretaries in the 1960s.

Sometimes the dilemma is caused by some copywriter someplace just being sloppy or lazy. So they fall back on certain "culinary buzz words". Words designed to move the food onto the plate and out of the restaurant. I bet there's a test for these menu writers and they've learned through rote recitation that there are certain ways to make someone order something.

Take fish for example. You'll often see the phrase "today's catch" on seafood restaurant menus. Well bull-crap. I mean what are the odds that the chef grabbed his fishing pole on just the day you happened to come into the restaurant? Do you really believe that the fish you are eating was caught today? More precisely the menu should read "fresh fish"– or at least I would hope that would be a precise and accurate phrase. 

Local is another word that can be incredibly misleading. Of course it's possible that the roasted "local" beets are indeed "local". But when I see that phrase on a menu also sporting the above mentioned "today's catch" phrase– I'll be honest, it makes me doubt their truthfulness straight down the menu.