One recipe, two names: malfatti (badly made) in Siena, gnudi (naked) in Florence. Malfatti, because their characteristic is to be irregular, homemade. Gnudi because they are ultimately the filling for ravioli, without the outer dress of home-made pasta. They do not require much manual skill, just a bit of practice and patience.
Ingredients
250 g boiled and squeezed spinach
250 g of fresh ricotta
2 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 egg
Nutmeg
Salt
Flour
For the sauce
150 g mascarpone
60 g milk
60g butter
80 g shelled walnuts
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano/ Pecorino
Preparation
Follow these steps:
Start with the ricotta: you need to remove any whey from it, so spoon the ricotta into a colander and let it drain for a few hours (if the ricotta is very liquid, you can leave it in the fridge overnight).
Chop the perfectly squeezed spinach with a knife.
Collect in a bowl the well-drained ricotta, the cold spinach, the Parmigiano Reggiano and a beaten egg. Add a generous pinch of grated nutmeg and mix thoroughly with a fork. Season with salt.
Sprinkle generously a tray with flour. Form the gnudi shaping with your hands balls bigger than gnocchi(see photo). Gently roll the gnudi in the flour.
For the sauce
heat the milk+ butter and the mascarpone in a pan add salt and pepper, add the walnuts and add the gnudi to the
sauce, sprinkle with a handful of Parmesan cheese or the Pecorino cheese.
Francesco's Pairing
Gnudi is a Tuscan classic, I would suggest a mid bodied red for this vegetarian, yet rich, dish. I'd pair it with a Chianti Classico or with a young Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Enjoy!