Posted by: Nikki
Want to go outside of your penne comfort zone for a pasta noodle that is perfect for scooping up your thicker gravies and sauces? Then you must introduce Mafalda into your pasta repertoire! "Mafalda," a.k.a "malfade," is a flat, ½ to ¾ inch wide ribbon pasta, somewhat similar to a narrow lasagna noodle, that has rippled edges on both sides. Although this pasta can be found both in short lengths of about 1 ¼ inches and long lengths of 10 inches or more, our families prefer the longer noodle to aid in scooping up our Sunday sauce!
Photo: Mafalda pasta (above) is Mom B's favorite to use with her famous Sunday Sauce. She mixes it with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and pecorino romano cheeses.
You'll especially set the rigatoni and spaghetti aside if you serve Mafalda alla Mom B's style, which is a luxurious mixture of fresh mozzarella, ricotta and grated pecorino romano cheeses that can be served either baked or unbaked.
The baked version has the same decadent taste of lasagna with half of the effort! Mafalda's ability to grasp onto chunky pieces of meat & cheese (due to its lovely rippled edges) that are found in heavier sauces and ragus, makes every mouthful a meal unto itself.
Any way you serve it -- and especially Mom B's heaven-on-earth recipe below -- is sure to be a huge hit with guests and ideal for a holiday meal, which always calls for something a little special.
Photo: Mom B's Sunday Sauce over baked malfada pasta. Bravissima!
To prepare Mom B's "Sunday Sauce Special" with YOUR Sunday Sauce:
(serves 8-10 people or approx. 5-6 hungry Italians)
What You'll Need:
2 lbs. Mafalda pasta, cooked al dente
1½ lbs. ricotta cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ cups grated pecorino romano
1 handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 egg
a pot of Sunday Sauce, a.k.a., Sunday Gravy*
*We at Sunday Sauce the blog highly recommend eating "Sunday sauce" with Mafalda pasta. Sunday sauce is a slow-simmered tomato sauce (or ragu), a basic version of which includes a combination of meatballs, sausage and pork (or beef) braciole.
OK, Let's Do It!
In a large bowl mix the ricotta with the egg; then fold in the mozzarella, 1 cup of the pecorino romano cheese and parsley; mix well.
Cook 2 lbs. Mafalda pasta, al dente.
Fold in cheese mixture to drained pasta and mix well, making sure all cheeses are distributed evenly. Next, scoop in a few ladles of your favorite Sunday sauce, mix again and sprinkle with remaining pecorino romano. Ready to serve! For the baked version (featured in photo above) place pasta, cheese and sauce mixture in a baking dish and cook in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes. Cut & scoop out pieces as you would regular lasagna and serve in warmed plates. Enjoy!
This recipe is great and the exact way my grandmother (who would be 110) and mother made it.
Posted by: Ramona Invidiato | October 20, 2009 at 03:11 PM
Glad you liked it Ramona. This recipe is from Nikki's side of the family and I will tell you that it is one of the most delicious pasta dishes that I've ever eaten. I love that malfada pasta!
Posted by: jonny | October 20, 2009 at 03:17 PM