Serves a Crowd

Beet malfatti with a truffled lemon butter sauce

by:
July 20, 2015
3.5
2 Ratings
Photo by nicole
  • Serves 5
Author Notes

Malfatti, also known as naked ravioli, is a type of pasta which literally means "badly made" in Italian. It's similar to a gnocchi but with a much lighter consistency.
These malfatti are not only gluten free, but have an amazing color for presentation. The lemon sauce is a great combination to tone down the earthy beet taste a bit, and balance the dish perfectly. —nicole

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Ingredients
  • Beet Malfatti
  • 200 grams Ricotta cheese
  • 50 grams Parmesan cheese
  • 200 grams cornstarch
  • 1 piece egg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • Truffled lemon butter sauce
  • 1 piece onion
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 piece lemon
  • 100 grams butter
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary
  • 1 splash truffle oil
  • 1 dash olive oil
Directions
  1. Beet Malfatti
  2. Bring water to a boil and add the beets (no stem or leaves). Let them cook for about 25minutes, strain, and remove the skin.
  3. Cut the beets into pieces and put them in a food processor, along with the ricotta cheese, parmesan and egg yolk.
  4. Put the mixture into a bowl and add 150 grams of the cornstarch. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. n a separate bowl beat the egg white until it becomes stiff and fold it into the mix. You'll see that it doesn't become a dough, but remains sticky. That's how it is supposed to be, don't worry! If you add any more cornstarch, they'll come out chewy and firm.
  6. Dust the remaining cornstarch over a clean surface and put water to boil. With a tablespoon grab small amounts of the mixture, drop over the flour and roll so that they dont stick to your fingers. They should be shaped into logs.
  7. Once you have finished forming them, put them in the boiling water. With a slotted spoon or skimmer remove the ones that begin to float.
  1. Truffled lemon butter sauce
  2. Start off by mincing the onion and sautéing it in a pan with some olive oil. Don't let it get too golden or burnt. After a few minutes add the butter, rosemary, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Optional: add a little white wine or more butter if desired.
  3. Cook for about 20 minutes and serve over the beet malfatti with a dash of truffle oil. Put a little parmesan on top and brulée it for an extra touch!

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2 Reviews

gusariel@hotmail.com April 27, 2023
They forgot to include the measurement for the main ingredient, i.e., beets. I guess you just have to eyeball it. I would say for 200 grams of AP flour (stay away from cornstarch for this one), I would go with one and a half to two medium-sized beets, and adjust flour/water/egg as necessary for the right consistency to work with. These are best served with a brown butter sage sauce, sprinkled with good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano extra vecchio, 36 months minimum), a generous drizzle of EVOO, garnished with
flat-leaf fresh parsley and both freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper. Salud!
Madeline G. October 28, 2018
Amount of beets? Thank you!