Malfatti Or Gnocchi Gnudi Pasta Without The Pasta Recipes

MALFATTI OR GNOCCHI GNUDI (PASTA WITHOUT THE PASTA)

Steps:

• Wash the cleaned spinach and shake off the moisture until only a small amount of water clings to the leaves. Steam lightly until just wilted. Drain the spinach well.
• Put the spinach into a lint-free dish towel and squeeze out the water. Twist the dish towel and squeeze more water out. Keep squeezing the spinach until you truly believe that you've gotten all the water out. Now, continue to squeeze out the remaining water. Spread out the spinach onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with paper towels to soak up any remaining moisture. If it looks sort of dry and a bit stringy, you're ready to move on.
• Mix the ricotta cheese, egg yolks, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Chop the spinach into small pieces. Do not use a food processor for this process, you are looking for pieces not puree. Add the spinach to the ricotta mixture.
• Pull out a small ball of "dough" and make a walnut-shaped dumpling. The dough will be very very soft, but it should hold together. If you truly believe that you MUST add some breadcrumbs, do so a little bit at a time. Added breadcrumbs will take away from the angel's pillow tenderness that true malfatti boast. Continue on with shaping the little balls.
• Lightly dust each dumpling with the flour and set aside on a cookie sheet, being careful to use the smallest amount of flour for each dumpling.
• Boil 10 cups of salted water in a large pot. When the water is boiling, turn down the heat so you get a nice simmer.
• Drop the malfatti into the water one at a time, making sure that you don't crowd them in the pot. As the dumplings rise to the surface, carefully pull them out using a strainer spoon and place in a large bowl.
• After all the malfatti are in the bowl, sprinkle on the butter and plate. Serve with a light tomato cream sauce and a good dusting of the best parmesan cheese you can find.

GNUDI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Form mixture in to small, flattened balls.
• Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess. Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes.
• Arrange gnudi on a platter and lightly drizzle with marinara sauce.

MALFATTI WITH PANCETTA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Dust a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet generously with flour; set aside. Place ricotta in the center of cheesecloth. Gather up the sides in your hands and wring out excess liquid. Transfer ricotta to a few sheets of paper towels and pat dry with more paper towels.
• Pulse ricotta, egg, 6 oz. Parmesan, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor to combine. Transfer to a large bowl; sift in 1 cup flour and mix until just barely combined (try not to overmix). Scrape ricotta mixture onto a floured surface and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 22x3/4" rope. Cut into 3/4" pieces and place dumplings on prepared baking sheet.
• Combine pancetta and 3 Tbsp. oil in a cold large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until pancetta is brown and crisp, 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl; reserve skillet.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a simmer (do not let it boil). Working in batches if needed, cook dumplings until they expand in size and float to the surface, about 3 minutes.
• Ladle about 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid into reserved skillet and add dumplings, tomatoes, and butter. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring gently (don't toss), until sauce thickens slightly and coats dumplings, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide malfatti among bowls. Finely grate lemon zest over, drizzle with oil, and top with pancetta and Parmesan.

GNUDI (RICOTTA GNOCCHI)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add basil and cook uncovered until just wilted, about 1 minute. Immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain. Squeeze very dry and finely chop.
• Mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup flour, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg yolks, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add basil, white pepper, and salt; mix until gnudi mixture is well-combined.
• Dust your hands with remaining 1/4 cup flour and form gnudi mixture into small balls.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lemon juice. Boil gnudi in batches until they float to the top of the water, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.