These gnocchi are also called malfatti (which translates to “badly made”) or gnudi (which means “nude”) because essentially these are ravioli without the pasta—they’re naked! No matter what you call them, I ADORE these delicate little cheese dumplings. They’re little bundles of spinach and ricotta sitting on top of melted Fontina mixed with heavy cream, mascarpone, and egg yolks. A little bit of this dish goes a long way—right to my booty usually!

　　

Ingredients

serves: 8 to 10

　　

for the gnocchi

2 pounds ricotta cheese

　　1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out, and finely chopped

　　4 large eggs

　　2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano, plus more for sprinkling

　　2 or 3 grates of fresh nutmeg

　　Kosher salt

　　1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

　　Semolina flour, as needed

　　

for the fonduta

1 pound Fontina cheese, cut into 1-inch squares

　　2 cups heavy cream

　　1 cup mascarpone

　　6 large egg yolks

　　

FOR THE GNOCCHI

Step 1

Wrap the ricotta in two layers of cheese-cloth, secure with string, and put it in a colander set over a bowl in the fridge to drain overnight; the ricotta needs to be really dry.

　　

Step 2

Unwrap the ricotta—the texture should be pretty dry and crumbly—and pass it through a food mill using the attachment with the biggest holes. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, eggs, Parmigiano, and nutmeg and mix well; taste and season with salt if needed. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to the bowl and stir. If the mixture is still very wet, add the remaining flour—you want this to be firm enough to hold its own shape.

　　

Step 3

Dust a baking sheet generously with all-purpose flour. Coat another baking sheet generously with semolina. Fill a disposable pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with one corner cut out) with the ricotta mixture and pipe 1-inch balls onto the flour-lined tray. Shake the tray around to coat the balls in flour, then gently roll each ball around in your hand to smooth it. Put the gnocchi on the semolina-lined tray until you’re ready to cook.

　　

FOR THE FONDUTA

Step 4

In a large bowl, combine the Fontina and cream, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

　　

Step 5

Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil (BTB), then reduce to a simmer (RTS). Put the Fontina and cream in a large heatproof bowl that will sit comfortably on the saucepan without touching the water (a double boiler setup). Whisk the cream frequently until the cheese has melted; then stir in the mascarpone. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time and cook until the mixture has thickened and is hot. Turn off the heat, cover the fonduta with plastic wrap, and reserve in a warm spot.

　　

TO ASSEMBLE THE DISH

Step 6

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat until the water just simmers and carefully add the gnocchi to the water; cook the dumplings until they float and begin to swell.

　　

Step 7

While the gnocchi cook, spoon the fonduta onto individual serving plates, using the back of a spoon to spread it into 4- to 5-inch circles. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully remove the gnocchi from the cooking water, blot them on a tea towel (you don’t want to make your lovely sauce watery), and arrange five gnocchi on each plate in the sauce. Sprinkle with Parm and serve.

　　

ANNE ALERT!

Step 8

You need to prepare the cheeses for this delicious dish overnight—so plan ahead!

　　Cook Like a Rock Star