Malfattimeans badly formed in Italian.
Malfatti rustically delicious!
I love being proven wrong when it comes to food.
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How very wrong I was about Malfatti!
This is one of the mostdeliciousthings Ive made all year.
Those plump little gnocchi-like balls are delightedly savoury, ultra-soft and incredibly juicy on the inside.
Theyre often paired with a tomato-based Napoli Sauce like here, and finished with a shower of parmesan.
There is room in my life for more than one most delicious thing Ive made all year.
I have a big appetite!!
What exactly are Malfatti, anyway?
Malfattiare traditional Italian dumplings made out of spinach and ricotta.
Theyre bound together with a little flour and egg, and flavoured with parmesan and basil.
Meaning badly formed, the name malfatti is an affectionate jibe at their rough and rustic looks.
Heres an up close and personal look at the inside of Malfatti.
Looks good, eh?
Boiled like gnocchi, baked in the oven
Malfatti are cooked much like gnocchi in boiling water.
Id be interested in opinions on this (even bold?!)
statement from any Italians reading this!
Ingredients in Malfatti Dumplings
Heres what you gotta make the dumplings.
Ricotta (dry and crumbly = good!)
The key ingredient here!
If you’re free to virtually crumble it with your hands, its perfect!
If you dont have eschalots, use 1/2 a red onion instead.
Bonus: An extra yolk makes them just that little bit richer and delicious!
Basil Just a handful, for its lovely fresh flavour.
Its a shortcut for this sauce, which we only simmer for 20 minutes.
Remember, Malfatti means badly formed.
Stick to the spirit of the name, a licence for imperfection!
Sweat spinach with salt to remove water Sprinkle spinach with a little salt and leave for 20 minutes.
We dont want minced spinach dumplings!
Finally, cool the spinach before stirring into the ricotta mixture.
Then gently mix until combined;
Form dumplings (wonky or neat!)
Use two dessert spoons to form football shaped dumplings.
Remember the name and dont get too hung up about perfect shapes!!
Boil The Malfatti are cooked in boiling water, just like other dumplings.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and carefully lower 4 to 6 dumplings in.
Dont worry about whether theyre fully cooked through because remember we finish them in the oven.
Use a slotted spoon to fish them out and place onto paper towels to drain.
As the sauce takes 20 mins, I typically start the sauce while Im sweating the spinach.
Make the sauce Nothing ground breaking here!
This will make the sauce even more delicious!
Pour the sauce in a pan and top with Malfatti.
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Then dish it out!!
How to serve Malfatti
Initially, I was confused about how to serve Malfatti.
Slop it up with bread??
Think of it like gnocchi.
So just like you do with gnocchi, serve yourself a big bowl of Malfatti just like that.
Theres a fair amount of vegetables in this dish in the form of the spinach and tomato.
I also would not turn down a side of garlic bread,normalorcheesy.
But hey, thats just me!
I live in a VERY dog friendly area!!!
(PS In case you re wondering, he is anti stilettos and pro sneakers.
Something about me not being able to play with him in heels. )
