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1
Drain the ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined strainer suspended over a bowl for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Save or discard the whey.
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2
Clean the chard well in plenty of cool water to remove any grit. Pat dry and remove the stems by folding the leaves like a book with the stem facing out, and cutting at an angle. Roll the leaves into a cigar shape, cut it in half lengthwise, then chop into small pieces. Cook the chard in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes, drain, cool, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. You should end up with about 1 cup of chopped chard. (This step can be done ahead of time.)
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3
Transfer the strained ricotta to a deep mixing bowl, and beat it with a flexible spatula or the back of a spoon until fluffy. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the ricotta along with the grated cheese. Add a pinch of salt, a grinding or two of pepper, and a teaspoon or so of lemon zest.
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4
Add the cooked chard and 1/2 cup of flour to the ricotta mixture and stir until the flour is completely incorporated into the batter and the chard is evenly distributed throughout.
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5
Lightly flour your hands and scoop out a spoonful of the batter. Gently roll it into a sphere about the size of a large gumball. Place on a parchment-lined tray or sheet pan and repeat until you have rolled out all of the batter (you should end up with about two dozen gnudi). Refrigerate the gnudi until you are ready to boil them (the gnudi can also be frozen at this point).
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6
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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7
In a wide skillet, melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add the breadcrumbs and stir well, then cook until they are browned and crisp. Remove the breadcrumbs to a bowl and toss them with about a teaspoon each of fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest.
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8
Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining stick of butter. Add several thyme sprigs and cook over low heat, being careful not to brown the butter. Add the lemon juice to the pan, stirring through.
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9
Add the gnudi to the boiling water in batches. When the gnudi float to the top of the pot, allow them to cook a minute or two before removing them with a spider or slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, repeating until all are cooked.
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10
Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the starchy water to the butter and lemon mixture, stirring through. Remove the thyme stems and discard.
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11
Add the cooked gnudi to the lemon-thyme butter and toss gently. Divide the gnudi and sauce between 4-6 warmed, shallow bowls, topping each serving with some of the lemon-thyme breadcrumbs.
