homemade spinach malfatti
By Chef Fabio Piceni
Serves: 3-4 people
Ingredients for the malfatti:
500 grams two days old bread, soaked in milk (about 1 lb)
250 grams fresh spinach (about 1/2 lb)
1 egg yolk
40 grams 00 flour, sifted (about 1/3 cup)
A touch of nutmeg, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the sauce:
100 grams unsalted butter (a little less than a stick)
10 leaves sage
1 stick cinnamon
Parmigiano Reggiano, to sprinkle
Directions:
1- Bollire gli spinaci: bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the spinach until soft (but still vibrant green), about 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Squeeze as much water as you can out of the spinach using your hands. Using a food processor, puree the spinach and set aside.
2- Unire gli ingredienti: add the spinach to a bowl along with the bread (make sure it’s drained well!) and mix well until well combined. Stir in the egg yolk, season with salt and some grated nutmeg. Gently incorporate the flour. The dough will be very soft. Cover the mixture and let rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (the flour will absorb the humidity of the spinach)
3- Dare la forma: using two tablespoons, scoop some of the mixture and form into quenelles. You can simply roll them into balls if quenelles intimidate you.
4- Bollire i malfatti: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently place the malfatti in the water, a few at the time, and cook until they float on the surface.
5- Fare il burro fuso: in a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves along with the stick of cinnamon and shallots. Cook for a few minutes until the butter begins to lightly brown.
6- Assemblare il piatto: assemble the dish. Strain the malfatti and place on a serving dish. Pour on top the buttery sauce with shallots. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano. Decorate with optional edible flowers.
Chef Fabio’s cooking tips:
This Malfatti recipe is from my girlfriend’s great grandma (la bisnonna di Fiorella!) and I feel honored to be able to use it in my kitchen and share with you. This is a very rustic dish from Lombardia and it’s made with just a few ingredients. It’s very easy to prepare and you can have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes!
The tradition calls for browned butter and sage but I wanted to give a modern twist to the recipe by adding two of my favorite ingredients: cinnamon and shallots. I hope you will enjoy it!