A pale, deeply savoury Parmesan-fennel broth — made from Parmesan rinds, fennel, onion, ginger, and bay, simmered for an hour at a lazy bubble, never boiling — poured around hand-rolled gnudi, dandelion greens wilted in the heat of the broth, and finished with drops of vivid green sorrel oil. It is one of the most beautiful bowls in the series.

Gnudi are not gnocchi. They are made from ricotta drained overnight — the only non-negotiable day-ahead step in this entire menu — combined with egg yolk, Parmesan, and a small amount of millet flour to hold them together. The result is lighter than gnocchi, more delicate, and genuinely remarkable when they float to the surface of hot broth. The sorrel oil is made by blanching sorrel briefly and blending it with good olive oil — four or five drops on the pale broth surface are the visual identity of this dish.

In Chinese nutritional medicine, Parmesan broth provides warming depth without the heaviness of a meat stock. Fennel moves Liver qi and supports digestion waking from winter. Dandelion is one of the most direct Liver-supportive herbs available — it drains damp and clears heat simultaneously, making it appropriate for the early spring transition out of winter. Sorrel is sour, delivering Wood element flavour in fat-carried form — the Liver's preferred delivery mechanism. Gnudi bring substance without burdening the Spleen. This bowl teaches Chinese medicine through the experience of eating it.