The Seattle Times - Got gnudi? Yes, it sounds like something you might have done on a remote beach. But while the word does mean "naked" in Italian, the reference is to something not nearly so racy — ravioli filling without the pasta.Often called ricotta gnocchi (because the main ingredient is ricotta cheese) or malfatti ("badly made" in Italian, because of their sloppy shape), these little melt-in-your-mouth dumplings have created something of a culinary craze across the country.