Malfatti
badly made
Rustic Italian dumplings made from ricotta, greens, breadcrumbs, or flour. The name means "badly made" — a playful acknowledgment of their intentionally rough, freeform shape that sets them apart from the precision of stuffed pasta.
About this dish
Malfatti is an Italian name for rustic, irregular dumplings rather than one fixed formula. Spinach, cheese and breadcrumbs appear in different versions; this Lombard-style recipe keeps the loose handmade shape instead of enclosing filling in pasta.
Recipe
Lombard spinach and breadcrumb malfatti
- 800 g mature spinach
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 20 g butter
- 90 g breadcrumbs
- 90 g Grana Padano, grated
- 2 eggs
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Sauce
- 60 g butter
- 10 sage leaves
- 1
Use 800 g mature spinach; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 20 g butter and the listed remaining ingredients. Wilt spinach in butter with garlic. Remove garlic, cool spinach, squeeze very dry and chop finely. Remove garlic, cool spinach and squeeze until it does not drip.
- 2
Mix with breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs and seasoning. Rest 20 minutes for crumbs to hydrate. Mix evenly and cover during rest so crumbs hydrate.
- 3
Form 24 small ovals with damp hands. Test one in gently simmering water; if fragile, add a tablespoon more breadcrumbs and rest briefly. Shape equal pieces lightly; if fragile add the stated small crumb adjustment and rest before retesting.
- 4
Sauce: 60 g butter; 10 sage leaves. Poach in batches 4-6 minutes until cooked through. Warm sauce butter with sage and spoon over drained dumplings. Keep a quiet simmer, check set egg center at 71°C/160°F and drain before spooning on sage butter.
Note
This selects the breadcrumb-bound, ricotta-free version from the first source. The other links use ricotta variations; they are not interchangeable formulas.