Mrs. Sebastiani's Malfatti

Ingredients

• 2 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of liquid
• 6 oz crusty bread
• hot water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2-1 cup dry, coarse bread crumbs
• 1+ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Flour
• 3 cups hot marinera sauce

Method

• After squeezing the spinach of as much water, in a bowl, as possible, chop. Reserve the water.
• Soak the bread 5-10 minutes in spinach water, adding enough hot water to cover. Squeeze dry .
• Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, 3-5 minutes. Mix the spinach, bread, onion, garlic in a food processor until chopped. Scrape into a mixing bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1 cup of the Parm, parsley, salt, pepper and basil. Stir in the eggs. With lightly floured hands, shape the mixture into sausage-like links, about 1" x 3" long. If they begin to fall apart, add more bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the links, one at a time, into the water. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the malfatti come to the surface, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and place into a greased baking dish so that the malfatti are all in one layer.
• Spoon the marinera sauce over the links, sprinkle with lots of additional Parmesan cheese abnd broil to reheat.

Notes

• SERVINGS: 12
• SOURCE: Apapted from New York Times Magazine 1/09