Saturday, February 27, 2010

My Gnocchi Came Naked to the Party: Nude Gnocchi a la Al Di La Trattoria


Welcome to the international gnocchi party! Hosted by Penny aka Jeroxie, my fellow guests and I have been tasked with bringing an umami-rich gnocchi dish to this virtual shindig. (There's a complete list of the other attendees, with links, and the bottom of this post.)  I took this challenge as the perfect opportunity to re-create a dish that has stuck with me for over 10 years: the malfatti, or nude gnocchi, as they are made at Al Di La Trattoria in my old digs of Brooklyn, NY.

When I first tasted these delectable pillows, I knew next to nothing about food or cooking.  I could tell something gastronomically special was going on, but I couldn't have pointed to the nutmeg, sage, Swiss chard, or brown butter as key players. I just knew I wanted more, more, more - but alas, I was broke and couldn't afford to eat out often enough to feed my malfatti addiction.  Plus I couldn't cook.
But since Anna Klinger, the Al Di La chef, generously shared her recipe with the New York Times some years back,  I can now have these amazing malfatti whenever I want.  They're sometimes called nude gnocchi because very little flour is used - just enough to hold all the ingredients together when you boil them. Klinger's recipe differs from traditional ones in that she uses Swiss chard rather than spinach, and while this does create more work for you, I think it's worth it in the long run - the chard gives a kind of subtle sweetness that somehow enriches the overall umami quality of the dish.

Malfatti a la Al Di La
adapted from the New York Times Magazine, November 2002
1 pound whole milk ricotta
kosher salt 
freshly ground black pepper
4 bunches Swiss chard (about 4 pounds)
8 ounces butter
1/4 cup AP flour, plus more for shaping
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
1-2 handfuls fresh sage leaves
Parmesan cheese for serving

You'll have to plan ahead and let the ricotta drain in a cheesecloth overnight:
 
 Next, remove the stalks and any large ribs from the chard (but make sure to save the stalks, they're delicious roasted). It's a lot of chard, but by the time you're finished it will have shrunken to just a cup:

 Working in batches, blanch the chard in salted boiling water for 3 minutes and immediately immerse in ice cold water. Next, squeeze it out by hand and lay your chard out on a dishtowel:
 
Roll it up in the towel, and twist and squeeze. I mean really, really squeeze. You want to get all of the water out so that your malfatti aren't soggy. (And only use a dishtowel that you don't mind turning a permanent shade of light green.) This is a two-person job for sure, and Poppa Trix performed feats of wringing super-strength that day, let me tell you. Once you've got the water out, run the chard through a food processor and lay it back out on a dry towel:
  
Oh I'm sorry - you didn't think you were finished squeezing yet, did you? Wrap it up and do it again, and when you think there's no more water left in that chard, give it another squeeze for good measure.  You'll be glad you did, I promise! Besides, now it's time for the fun stuff.
Mix 1 1/2 cups of the ricotta with your chard:
 
Add to this 4 oz of melted butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1 heaping tsp salt,  1 heaping tsp freshly grated nutmeg and mix. Add the egg yolks and egg, season with ground pepper,  and mix again.
 

 
Now shape the mixture into little balls, about a tablespoon each, and place them gently on a floured cutting board or plate:
 
Now comes my favorite part: shaping the malfatti!  Simply plop each ball into a tall wine glass containing about a tbsp of flour, swirl until a quenelle (sort of an egg shape) forms. Remove, repeat. Fun!
 Now you can either freeze them or cook and eat them. We did both, and the frozen ones were just as flavorful as the fresh.  If you're cooking them, do so in a salted pot of boiling water for about 8 minutes (boil for 10 minutes if frozen). 
 
As for the sauce, it's a classic, simple brown butter and sage sauce. You know what to do: heat the remaining butter in a saute pan until it's brown and smells nutty, and then toss in the sage leaves for another 30 seconds. The smell is pure heaven:
Plate up the nude gnocchi with your sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan, and all that chard squeezing you did will suddenly be worth it:

And don't forget to check out these other gnocchi-licious dishes from my fellow gnocchi party revelers!

Our host, Penny aka Jeroxie, Addictive & Consuming







43 comments:

  1. OMG! Great minds think a like... How good were they. So simple and so delicious.
    Thanks for coming to the party babe... till the next time :)

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  2. Wow...these look absolute stunning! I might try going nude next time too!

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  3. PERFETTO! They look seriously addictive, Trix. Umami-rich? I'll bet! Nom nom nom ...

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  4. That is a perfect recipe Trix! Anna Klinger is brilliant... I was lucky enough to live around the corner from al di la...their beet cazunzei is spectacular too. You did them proud with this recipe...as full of umami as full can be with great photos to boot!

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  5. You wont believe this, my brother just called me before I saw this and said he just had some spinach potatoe gnocchi and we had never heard of them and then viola! here is your post! awesome looking and mouth watering I am forwarding this post to him he isnt going to believe it! You never cease to amaze me my medieval Queen~

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  6. How pretty with the chard in there! What a fantastic idea. These looks so soft, pillowy and delicious.

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  7. Wow, gorgeous, the shape is so perfect - and what a cool way to shape them!

    Happy Gnocchi Party!

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  8. Tracey, these are fantastic and healthy! Unfortunately I wouldnt be able to find all the ingredients here.

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  9. OMG! I'm a Chard fanatic and wouldn't think of wasting garden space for anything else. I know this is going to be my most favorite recipe -- ever! Thank you for sharing.

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  10. Umami indeed! I just saw Penny's version and now yours. Mmmmm. Drooling over keyboard as I type this. Great job!

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  11. I love your gnudi gnocchi, what a great idea to use Swiss chard! Super delicious! This is such a fun party, exploring about all different kinds of gnocchi!

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  12. Love those, I made some a couple of months ago with spinach and the chards are a great substitution. Beautiful!

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  13. Look at that. So elegant. The shaping of the quenelle looks really fun than shaping them with two spoons. I have to bookmark this and try this.

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  14. Your nude gnocchi look gorgeous! This is an elegant umami-rich gnocchi dish with eye-catching presentation. I should try to make some nude ones next time. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

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  15. wow these look unbelievable! you are so talented..i need to try to make these. I love love how you put them in a wine glass to shape them!!

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  16. Love spinach and love gnocchi...they look amazing!

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  17. This is a fantastic recipe! I like that you can have three pieces and be full, and also you get great nutrition from the Swiss chard. Fantastic!

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  18. Thanks everybody - and esp my fellow party goers! Great gnocchi all the way around. @Pegasus - that is too weird. @lost past remembered: lucky, lucky girl! @Shirley- which ingredients? maybe you could make your own ricotta and substitute a sweet tender green for the chard? @fresh local & best: who said I was full after just 3? ; )

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  19. Oh. My Gosh. How beautiful are those?! I'm really not sure if three would be enough for me.. They look divine. I wanna take a bite right out the picture!

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  20. Beautiful, gorgeous, full of flavour, delicious, addictive to say the least. All my favourite flavours in one!!! So want to try these!!

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  21. Love the addition of chard. And I'm pretty sure there is nothing out there that doesn't pair beautifully with sage brown butter. That's the icing on the gnocchi right there.

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  22. This looks so good. I love gnocchi and this looks amazing.

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  23. Love love love gnocchi! Yours are so beautiful!

    I just found your blog and I am so glad I did. :)

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  24. More malfatti please! And more of your beautiful photos and engaging writing!

    YUM!

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  25. I have only done sweet potato gnocchi in the past. These look outstanding and I am digging the wine glass shaping technique. Thanks for sharing.

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  26. Oooh, the shaping in the wine glass technique is fantstic! It does look like fun. :D Your gnocchi look great too - yum.

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  27. Those look very pretty, great photos, very informative, I didn't know anything about gnocchi until just recently.

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  28. Did you save any for me? These look AMAZING. I love chard. I love how green these are because of the chard. I didn't know you could make gnocchi so many different ways. Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous!

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  29. This is my first stop on the gnocchi trail. You have set the bar high with this recipe! They sound much lighter than tradition gnocchi, which I love, but sometimes regret eating when they sit in my belly like bricks...
    Can't wait to check out the rest!

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  30. Trix
    That was one hell of a gnocchi! I was never a big fan but these are exceptional! How lucky that you had snagged the recipe a while back! Also, if you did not cook 10 years ago, how do you explain your sophisticated and skillful cooking now? You are a very fast learner!

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  31. Wow...your gnocchi looks very healthy and delicious! Must be so fun to make.

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  32. What a perfect little parcel! I signed up for a gnocchi cooking class earlier this year and dropped it. I doubt seriously that I'd have had the kind of gnocchi-ish stuff happening that's happening right here! In lieu of the egg and ricotta, I am sure my vegan creative mind could somehow manage this recipe. BTW, is there a rule to not serve more than three on a plate. . . just wondering--I think I'd have to eat more than three!

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  33. Lovely, a perfect recipe for one of my favourite things. We sometimes serve them in chicken broth - delicious - or with a light tomato sauce. Or as you say with just barely melted butter and cheese, Italy has not heard of brown butter and here the butter is just melted not cooked at all.

    I usually shape with slighly damp hands, or sometimes two spoons, can't wait to try your wine glass technique, what a great tip!

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  34. Trix,
    I've been wanting to make gnudi ever since I saw it advertised on a local restaurant menu - thank you for clearing the path for me! Now I have a good example to follow.
    Keep up the great work!

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  35. These look amazing. I love your step by step photos. And since I try to limit my flour intake, these will be perfect way to satisfy a gnocchi craving. Thanks!

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  36. Love the green in them! Ricotta is such a cool twist and now you have me craving for a trip to Al Di La!

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  37. I've never thought of using cheese in making gnocchi. Hhmm..mm.. sounds fantastic and looks really good too! Can't wait to try it out soon. Btw, Trix, I've left you something. Please feel free to stop by my blog collect it. Have a great day!
    Cheers, Kristy

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  38. wow! what an elegant dish.And all that squeezing looks worth it from where im sitting!! beautiful ...truly ~

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  39. They look delish.......and a great addition to the party!!!!Nude and all!!!!

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  40. Wow. This looks so delicious... and sort of reminds me of my matzoh ball-making process!! I definitely need to tab this recipe.

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  41. Thank you for the very specific instructions. This looks to to to yummy. I will make it - and I am becoming a gnocci aficionado. Thank you SO much! Beautiful.
    Valerie

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