Pellegrini Family Vineyards Recipes

Bessie Leveroni's Malfatti

Mary Kay Leveroni, a long-time friend of the Pellegrini family and grape purveyor of Pellegrini Sauvignon Blanc, shares this recipe from her mother-in-law, Bessie. Malfatti (Italian slang for “mistake”) were invented in the late 1920’s at the Depot Restaurant in Napa where Bessie’s cousin worked. One day, the restaurant was out of ravioli and booked to serve a visiting baseball team. The cook rolled small balls of ravioli filling through flour, boiled them and doused them in sauce. The team loved it, and soon people were driving near and far to get their malfatti fill. Bessie eventually taught Mary Kay how to make her own malfatti recipe. Paired with a glass of Pellegrini wine, we think you will enjoy this delicious “mistake.”

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 sprigs rosemary (to taste)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 packages frozen chopped spinach, fully drained

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

4 eggs well beaten

Flour

2 cups tomato sauce

Sauté garlic and rosemary in olive oil. Allow to cool. In a large bowl, mix the garlic and rosemary with the remaining ingredients (except the tomato sauce and flour), adding the eggs last. Using about 1 tablespoon of he mixture, shape into balls and roll in flour. Drop malfatti into a large pot of boiling water. They are ready when they float to the top of the pot, about 5 minutes. Drain malfatti and serve with your favorite tomato sauce.

Serves 4

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Bessie Leveroni's Malfatti