Badly made

That's what malfatti means in Italian. They're like gnocchi, but made with spinach and ricotta cheese instead of potatoes and flour. And for these I used grated zucchini in the place of spinach. The idea came from a friend the other day while we discussed different things to do with the surplus of zucchini we home gardeners eventually have to deal with. I think they're called malfatti because they aren't particularly well formed; they look rustic rather than pretty.

Malfatti dumplings ready to be cooked.

First, I grated two small zucchini in the food processor, salted them and let them drain for about ten minutes. Then I squeezed them with a clean towel to remove as much water as possible. Next, I mixed the dried zucchini with ricotta cheese, a bit of grated parmesan, some breadcrumbs, a small bunch of scallions finely minced , a clove of garlic finely minced, salt, pepper, some grated nutmeg, and two eggs. I did this last part with my hands to make a uniform mixture. That went into the fridge for about twenty minutes to rest.

Malfatti served with a sage butter sauce.

Meanwhile, I brought a large pot of water to the boil and added salt. I formed the dough into small logs about four inches long, rolled them in flour, then cut them into one-inch pieces. In batches, I dropped the malfatti into the boiling water. They are ready when they come back up to the surface. I scooped them out with a slotted spoon and put them into a warming oven.

The last step is the sauce. Any sauce you like will do. For this first effort, I melted some butter and olive oil in a small pan and fried fresh sage leaves until they crisped up. Then I poured the sauce on the warm malfatti and served them. They were light and fluffy and delicious!