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Author: Francine Lizotte
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by Francine Lizotte
- comfort food
- dumplings
- gnocchi
- marinara sauce
- parmesan cheese
- pasta
- ravioli
- ricotta
- semolina
- spinach
- International
- Italian cuisine
- St. Patrick's Day
I find Italians amazing! They have style; fashion, beautiful cars, amazing places, delicious food & wine, culture, arts, history, and much more. When it comes to food (and wine), I simply love their cheese, coffee, Pasta, gelato, Cannoli, etc. Gee, I can’t wait to visit their country… It’s been on my bucket list for a long time!
Pasta is one of my weaknesses (although the list seems to be getting longer). Served with a beautiful well-seasoned sauce, this is an incredible meal! Although I enjoy pasta a lot, there are a couple of dishes that I really like and they’re actually “pasta-less” (is that a word?). There’s Gnocchi which is a dumpling made with potato and also this featured one… Gnudi aka Malfatti!
What is this dish?
It’s a dumpling made from ricotta cheese, spinach and other fresh ingredients. It’s basically the filling that you’d find in stuffed pasta like ravioli. It’s absolutely delicious! I like to serve them with my Marinara Sauce and sprinkle cheese on top. Some like to serve them with basil butter…
Gnudi aka Malfatti is only one recipe with two names depending on which Italian region it’s from. The difference is about the meaning of the dish itself. While the Tuscan gnudi means “naked” referring to not covering the filling with pasta, malfatti means “poorly made”. In fact, I always called them malfatti until one day I ordered gnudi at a restaurant. By the time I got my order, I realized that it was the same thing with two different names.
Although it’s a quick recipe to make, there’s a little step to make the day before; it’s to drain the ricotta cheese. Unless you purchase the ricotta cheese impastata which has very low moisture, the regular ricotta has to be drained beforehand. Is it worth it to buy impastata? NO, it’s not! By draining your regular ricotta, you’ll achieve exactly the same results. To learn how to proceed with this step, click on this link… Ricotta Cheese • How to Drain
This Gnudi aka Malfatti recipe is unbelievably delicious! These little pillows are light and fluffy. It’s an amazing comfort food plus it’s so quick and easy to make. It can be served as an appetizer or a main course with fresh Crusty Bread… yum!
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more delicious Italian recipes for you to enjoy…
– Spaghetti alla Carbonara
– Italian Burgers with Tomato Slaw
– Meat Lasagna
– Cannoli
– Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells
– Quattro Formaggi Pizza ~ Four Cheese Pizza
– Italian Meatballs
and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Gnudi aka Malfatti
This flavorful Gnudi aka Malfatti dish is so tasty! They are quick and easy delicious Italian dumplings, great to serve anytime.
5 from 4 votes
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Servings 4
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 minutes mins
Passive Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 17 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (450 g) Ricotta cheese, drained
- 1 package (10 oz./300 g) frozen spinach, drained and finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 cup finely grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 large free-run eggs, room temperature and beaten
- 1 tbsp. chives, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, or to taste plus more for the pot
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 1/2 cup semolina, or as needed
- 3 cups marinara sauce, or as needed see Recipe
- 1 tbsp. flat-leaf Italian parsley
Directions
Sprinkle semolina evenly on a baking sheet; set aside
In a large bowl, add drained ricotta, spinach, garlic, cheese, eggs, chives, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper; mix until well blended.
Scoop up about 1 ½ tbsp. spinach mixture and form a ball before rolling it in the flour until well coated, shaking off any excess flour. Place it on the prepared baking sheet while rolling and coating the others (*see footnote).
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Working in batches, carefully add gnudi and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they float to the surface.
Scoop them up with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a baking sheet.
Spoon some marinara sauce in each bowl and place 5 gnudi per bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with Italian parsley.
Notes
Footnote: From here, they can be frozen by placing them on a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. When they're frozen, place them in a re-sealable plastic bag and return them to the freezer. When time to cook, directly plunge them in the boiling water - it will take a couple extra minutes to cook them.
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