In a world of ever-changing, lightning-fast technology and 24/7 communication, it can be hard to keep up. When it comes to the food world, the truly trendy cook from apps, watch food videos on their phones and bone up on “molecular gastronomy” via Twitter. I squarely am behind the times, and I don’t really mind. But I found it downright embarrassing to discover that I totally missed a significant culinary development that involves cookbooks – the printed kind.

The “development” is the publication, dating back at least three years, of a series of books called “Canal House Cooking” by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, two of the original forces behind the food magazine Saveur. (Hirsheimer is a renowned food photographer and a founding editor of the magazine. Hamilton worked as the food editor there.) Together, the two have produced a series of incredibly civilized and attractive cookbooks with what Hamilton described to The New York Times as “a handmade, city-country, pearls-and-burlap feel.”

The series’ gnocchi verdi recipe is not for a traditional potato gnocchi, but for pasta-free dumplings more often called gnudi (“naked”) or ravioli malfatti (“badly made ravioli”).

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MAIN DISH

Gnocchi Verdi

2 pounds fresh spinach, cooked, squeezed dry and finely minced

1 1/2 cups fresh whole-milk ricotta

1 tablespoon melted butter

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons flour

For the sage butter sauce

8 to 12 tablespoons butter

8 to 10 fresh sage leaves

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (to taste)

In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the spinach, ricotta, melted butter, cheese and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sift flour over the mixture and, using the spatula, mix just enough to incorporate flour into the dough. Overmixing will make the gnocchi heavy and tough. The dough will be soft and a little sticky; that’s fine. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or, better still, overnight.

To make the sauce, about 20 minutes before serving, melt butter with sage leaves over medium heat. Turn off heat, cover and keep warm.

To cook the gnocchi, fill a wide pan with water to a depth of about 3 inches. Season with salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Adjust the heat to keep the water barely simmering.

Have ready the chilled gnocchi dough, two teaspoons and a cup of cold water. Dip spoons in the water, then use one spoon to scoop up some of the dough. Use the other spoon to shape the dough into a quenelle (a sort of small oval). Hold the spoon in the simmering water for about a second; the gnocchi will slide off into the bottom of the pan. Work in batches, cooking six to 10 gnocchi at a time (depending on the size of your pan). When they float to the surface, cook about three minutes more.

Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a large, shallow serving bowl. Spoon the warm sage butter over the gnocchi and shower with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Yields four to six servings.