Spinach Ricotta Italian Dumplings (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Tomato Base

01 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
02 - 2 minced garlic cloves
03 - 1/2 onion, chopped super fine
04 - 800g smashed tomatoes
05 - 1 tbsp concentrated tomato
06 - 120ml tap water
07 - 1 stem of basil (save leaves for the dumplings)
08 - 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
09 - 3/4 tsp cooking salt
10 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper

→ Spinach Prep

11 - 300g fresh baby spinach
12 - 1/2 tsp table salt

→ Dumpling Mix

13 - 1 tbsp olive oil
14 - 2 minced garlic cloves
15 - 1 big shallot, finely diced (substitute with 1/2 red onion if needed)
16 - 500g solid ricotta (get the firm kind, not creamy spread)
17 - 1/4 cup loosely packed sliced basil leaves
18 - 1 egg
19 - 1 yolk from an egg
20 - 100g grated parmesan cheese
21 - 60g plain flour
22 - 1/2 tsp salt
23 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper

→ Finishing Touches

24 - 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
25 - Fresh baby basil for garnish

# Instructions:

01 - Warm oil in a pot over medium flame. Toss in garlic and onion, cooking for 3 minutes till soft. Mix in all other sauce stuff with the basil stem. Let it bubble gently, then turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, giving it a stir now and then until it gets thick.
02 - Mix spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in a big strainer and let it sit 20 minutes. Wrap in a kitchen towel and squeeze hard to get the water out. Chop it up roughly.
03 - Warm oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Drop in garlic and shallot, cook just a minute till see-through. Add spinach and stir till it shrinks down. Dump it in a big bowl to cool off.
04 - Put ricotta and all the other dumpling ingredients into the spinach bowl. Mix it all up good. You want it a bit sticky but firm enough to hold a shape.
05 - With two small spoons, scoop about 1 1/2 tbsp of mix and make football shapes. Put them on a paper-covered tray. Keep going till you've used everything up, making about 24-30 little dumplings.
06 - Get a big pot of water boiling. Gently drop in 6 dumplings at once and cook for 2 minutes till they float up. Take them out with a holey spoon onto a paper towel tray. Do the same with all the rest.
07 - Get your oven hot at 180°C. Pour your tomato sauce in a baking dish, then lay the cooked dumplings on top. Drizzle some good olive oil over them. Bake for 15 minutes till they get slightly golden on top.
08 - Scatter parmesan and fresh basil over your baked dumplings. Scoop into bowls and eat right away. They're filling on their own, like gnocchi, and go great with a simple green salad.

# Notes:

01 - Go for dry, crumbly ricotta instead of the soft, spreadable kind for best outcome.
02 - Got wet ricotta? Let it drain in a cloth-lined strainer in your fridge for a couple hours.
03 - Don't worry if the dumplings seem soft after boiling - they'll get firmer in the oven.
04 - The name 'Malfatti' means 'badly made' in Italian, so don't stress about making them look perfect.

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