Malfatti served in a bowl

Malfatti

Name: Malfatti
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 500g fresh or frozen spinach (see tip, below); 250g ricotta; 50g fresh breadcrumbs; 50g finely grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve; 2 large eggs beaten; 1 tbsp semolina or plain flour, plus extra for dusting; nutmeg for grating; 60g butter; 25g sage leaves

Charlotte Pike

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Serves 4

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 15 mins

A star rating of 4 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

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Make our take on Tuscan malfatti – spinach and ricotta dumplings that look a bit like large, roughly formed gnocchi. Serve coated in an aromatic sage butter and plenty of cheese

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 tbsp olive oil
500g fresh or frozen spinach

(see tip, below)
250g ricotta
50g fresh breadcrumbs
50g finely grated parmesan

or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve
2 large eggs

beaten
1 tbsp semolina

or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
nutmeg

for grating

For the sage butter

60g butter
25g sage leaves

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal395
fat30g
saturates16g
carbs11g
sugars2g
fibre2g
protein19g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and wilt the spinach, about 2-3 mins. Tip the spinach into a colander and press out any excess liquid using the back of a spoon. Leave to cool completely. Squeeze out any remaining liquid with your hands, then finely chop the spinach.
step 2

Tip the chopped spinach into a bowl with the ricotta, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Add the egg and semolina or flour. Season and grate over some nutmeg. Stir to form an evenly combined, sticky mixture.
step 3

Put a couple tablespoons of flour on a large tray and shake gently to spread the flour out. Spoon around ½ tbsp of the spinach mixture onto the floured tray and roll into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the spinach mixture, transferring the balls to a second clean baking tray as you go.
step 4

Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the malfatti (you may need to do this in batches) and simmer for 2 mins, or until they float to the surface. Scoop the malfatti out with a slotted spoon and drain well. Transfer to an ovenproof serving dish and keep warm in the oven.
step 5

Make the sage butter by melting the butter in a small pan. Add the sage leaves and fry gently, stirring often until crisp. Pour the sage butter over the malfatti and top with more grated cheese.

RECIPE TIPS

PREPARING THE SPINACH

Frozen spinach works well in this recipe, but make sure to defrost it first. Squeeze out as much excess water as possible before combining the spinach with the other ingredients – there is no need to wilt it first.

SAUCE SWAP

Malfatti can also be served with a rich tomato sauce instead of sage butter.

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.4 ratings

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