Malfatti are not hard, but this dish took more than 45 minutes to come together, breaking the OWW vow for simplicity. I'd say the timing is akin to making homemade spaghetti and meatballs and closer to the hour mark. To cut down time, you can use your favorite jarred sauce in place of the homemade one. But for those who want a banner Italian meal in less than 30 minutes, we have a second recipe — a family fave — our super simple carbonara.
Malfatti (Spinach Ricotta Dumplings) in Red Sauce
cheesecloth
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove , finely minced
1 onion, finely diced, divided
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch red chili flakes (optional)
1 24-ounce whole San Marzano tomatoes
½ cup lightly packed basil leaves, sliced, divided
10 ounces baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 16-ounce tub whole milk ricotta cheese, the drier the better
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup flour, GF (I used Cup 4 Cup) or all purpose
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Place a double layer of cheesecloth into a mesh strainer large enough for full tub of ricotta, and put over a small bowl to catch the liquid. Pour ricotta in, and close cheesecloth around it. Press down to extract as much liquid as possible. Leave to drain, ideally over night, but minimally while prepping other ingredients.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or walled skillet over medium heat. Add ½ of the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, until onion is softened. While it is cooking, place all contents from the can of tomatoes into a blender, and puree until it becomes liquid. (NOTE: You can used crushed tomatoes, but the quality is not as good.)
Add tomato paste, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using, into the skillet with the onions. Sauté, stirring, until tomato paste turns rust colored, about 2 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be a thick sauce. Add ¼ cup of the chopped basil and cook 5 more minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the remaining ½ of chopped onion and cook 5 minutes. Coarsely chop spinach and add to pan, stirring often until just wilted. Remove from heat.
Move the drained ricotta from the strainer, discarding the cheesecloth, and place into a large bowl. Then move the wilted spinach mixture into the same mesh strainer atop the small bowl where ricotta drained. Press down on the spinach mixture with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Add remaining ¼ cup of sliced basil, egg, egg yolk, Parmesan, flour, salt, and pepper to the large bowl with the ricotta. Then add the drained spinach mixture. Mix well to combine all. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings. Put in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once water is close to boiling, remove malfatti dough from the the refrigerator, and using wet hands, roll into 24 ping-pong sizes balls, placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet after rolled. (NOTE: In the photo, the balls are larger than that, but I recommend using the smaller size). Carefully put 8 dumplings in water. Cook for 2 minutes, until they float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining balls.
Pour sauce into a large baking dish. Gently place on top of sauce. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Baked 10 minutes, until just getting slightly blush colored.
Zucchini with Mint
2 large zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup loosely-packed, chopped mint, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 450°.
Cut ends of zucchini and cut into even slices, about 1/2-inch thick.
Pour olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Put zucchini on sheet, then toss to coat into oil. Arrange flat in a single layer. Place into over for 10 minutes.
While zucchini cooks, add all remaining ingredients to a medium bowl.
When zucchini comes out of oven, carefully move it to bowl, tossing gently so as to maintain the zucchini's shape. Let sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours at room temperature, garnishing with fresh mint before serving.
Pasta Carbonara
8 oz dried linguini, fettuccini, or other favorite pasta
4 thick-cut slices bacon (about 6 oz)
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup half and half, cream, or whole milk
black pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to directions, to al dente.
While pasta is cooking, cut bacon into small pieces (one cut lengthwise, then into ½-inch strips). Sauté bacon over medium heat in a large skillet with sides. When bacon is cooked to your preference, turn off heat, but leave in skillet.
While bacon and pasta are cooking, mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl, mixing eggs fully.
When pasta is al dente, add it to skillet with bacon using tongs. (If you do not have tongs, reserve about one cup of pasta water using a cup measure, before draining pasta in colander and adding to bacon.) Toss pasta with bacon and its drippings.
Add remaining ingredients to skillet. Turn heat under skillet to low, stirring continuously until sauce thickens. If sauce tightens or starts to curdle, add some reserved pasta water until it becomes creamy. Add fresh ground pepper to taste before serving.
FUN FACTS:
An Italian invented the espresso machine, and 4 billion espressos are consumed in Italy each year.
Pinocchio is an Italian story and was first published in a newspaper.
It is estimated that Rome alone is home to around 300,000 cats; they are the only residents who are permitted to explore the ruins whenever they like. Killing a cat in Italy can land you up to three years in prison.
コメント