Malfatti di ricotta e spinaci

'Malfatti’, literally translated, means 'badly made’. In Campagna the word describes the broken and irregular pieces of the dried hard-wheat pasta that is formed in many shapes and sizes and often sold off cheaply to be used in soups. In Tuscany, fresh ricotta will always be sheep’s ricotta, but buffalo ricotta, works very well, otherwise use fresh cow’s ricotta.

Ingredients
1kg spinach leaves
500g fresh ricotta
4 large eggs
¼ of a nutmeg, freshly grated
50g Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tbsp tipo '00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
200g fine semolina flour
250g unsalted butter, softened
10 sage leaves (fresh)

Method
Cut the stalks from the spinach and discard, and wash the leaves well. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the leaves for five minutes, or until soft. Drain, squeezing out every bit of water. Chop finely and let cool.
Beat the ricotta with a fork and add the chopped spinach. Add the eggs, nutmeg and Parmesan and season. Fold in the flour and dust a tray with more flour.
Dust your hands with semolina and lightly form even shaped balls from the mixture. The malfatti must be well coated with the semolina. Place them on the floured tray.

Heat a serving dish with a knob of butter. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the malfatti in batches and cook until they float. This will take about five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the warmed dish. Keep warm while you cook the rest.
Slowly melt the remaining butter in a thick-bottomed pan over a low heat; add the sage leaves and just let them wilt and blend into the butter. Serve the malfatti with the sage butter and Parmesan.