Malfatti with Sage-Butter

Spring is proving to be a bit reluctant this year, but the few sunny days that we've had have definitely given me a yearning for a culinary change. No more chestnut soups or thick winter stews for me! Instead, we are going to start focussing on the new seasonal products, the first one being: SPINACH! I love spinach in all varieties and you can be sure to see a few more recipes using spinach in the coming week.

This time, I have decided to present an Italian recipe: Malfatti. They are similar to Gnocchi but instead of using potatoes as a base, these are a lovely mixture of ricotta, parmesan and (of course) spinach. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6):


500gr fresh spinach
1 small onion, finely chopped
100gr of butter
90gr of parmesan, grated
250gr ricotta
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
230gr of flour
Nutmeg
12 sage leaves

Preparation:
 

1. In a large pan, fry the onion in a bit of butter or olive oil until transluscent. Add the spinach and sautee until soft (this takes just a few minutes). Season generously with salt and black pepper. Set aside in a colander to drain. Once most of the liquid is gone (you might want to squeeze the spinach a bit to get rid of any excess moisture) and the spinach has cooled off, chop finely using a large knife.

2. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, 70gr of finely grated parmesan and the eggs (including the egg yolks). Add the spinach, then the flour before seasoning one final time with salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg.

3. Bring plenty of salted water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Cover your worksurface with a generous quantity of flour. Using roughly one tablespoon of dough at a time, form longish shapes (see picture above), roll them lightly in the flour and set aside. Once they are all done, place them in the water. The Malfatti will sink to the bottom of the saucepan first, but resurface when they are done (this takes around 5 minutes). 

4. In a large pan, heat the butter until it starts to brown slighly. Add the sage leaves and allow them to infuse the butter. Once the Malfatti are cooked, remove them from the water using a slotted spoon and add them to the sage-butter for a few minutes. 

Serve with grated parmesan.