Italian Bread and Stinging Nettle Gnocchi (Malfatti)
A traditional, rustic Italian gnocchi made from nettles, cheese, breadcrumbs and egg. Serves 4 as a light appetizer or two as an entree. Scale as needed.
¾cup(scant 3 oz) fine dry breadcrumbspreferably sourdough (gluten free breadcrumbs are fine here too)
2large egg yolks
1large egg
All purpose flour or equivalentfor rolling the gnocchi
To serve as pictured
1recipe nettle gnocchi
1cup homemade tomato sauce
4Tablespoons unsalted butter
1.5Tablespoonsspearmint, thinly sliced wild or cultivated
¼cup dry white wine
3Tablespoonsgrated parmigiano reggiano or your favorite parmesan cheese
Instructions
Gnocchi
Prepare a pot for steaming. Wash and dry the nettles. Add the nettles to the pot and steam for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the nettles and cool spread out on a tray. Roughly chop the nettles, then puree in a food processor with the eggs, cheese, nutmeg, and pinch of salt. Scrape the nettle mixture into a mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs, mix well, cover and rest for an hour. The dough should be firm enough to shape, and not sticky, if it is, knead in some extra breadcrumbs.
Separate the dough into 4 balls. With floured hands, roll the dough out into ½ inch logs. Cut the logs on the diagonal with a bench knife, lightly dust with flour and reserve on a baking sheet. From here the nettle gnocchi can be cooked or frozen until needed.
To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for 3-4 minutes until they float and are cooked throughout. When they float they will still need another couple minutes to cook through.
To serve as pictured
Warm the tomato sauce, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a frying pan on medium heat until it darkens and smells toasty. Add the mint, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 20 seconds. Add the wine to the brown butter and turn off the heat.
Cook 4 oz of gnocchi per person in a boiling saucepan of salted water for 4-5 minutes. They need to cook for a few minutes after they float to the surface. Transfer the gnocchi to the frying pan with a slotted spoon and toss with butter.
Divide the tomato sauce between four small soup bowls. Divide the gnocchi evenly between them, spooning the excess butter over the top of each. Garnish with a chiffonade of mint if you have some and pass the parmesan.
Video
Notes
Other Wild Greens to Use
Instead of nettles, this recipe can be made with other wild greens. Ramp leaves are particularly good.
Breadcrumbs
You can use panko, but it should be ground fine in a spice grinder.
Variations
Add things to the gnocchi to make a more filling meal. Sautéed mushrooms, fried bacon, sausage, etc.