“Pumpkin” Gnocchi

“Pumpkin” Gnocchi

These can be made with all sorts of winter squash, from pumpkins to butternut. The Marina di Chioggia would be a traditional one used. When making the gnocchi, try to handle them as little as possible for the lightest results.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium Marina di Chioggia squash (around 1½ pounds), split and cleaned

2-3 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

½ stick butter, melted, or olive oil as needed

METHOD:

Heat oven to 400°F.

While oven heats, split the squash and scoop it clean. Oil the inside and cut surfaces and place on a foiled baking sheet, and place in the center of the oven. Cook until the squash is tender-it should yield easily when pierced at its thickest part. This should take around 30 minutes. As soon as you can handle the squash without hurting yourself, scoop the flesh from the skin and either pass through a sieve or food mill, or puree in a blender or processor. You will need around 1½ cups of squash.

In a large bowl, put in the squash, then season with the salt and the nutmeg. Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle 1 cup of flour over the squash and mix in until just blended.

Scrape the squash onto a floured surface. Knead a little, adding in just enough flour to form a soft dough that will hold together. The dough may be a little sticky, which is fine. Remember, the less you manhandle the dough, the lighter the results will be. Once the dough will hold shape, set aside covered with a clean towel, and scrape the surface clean.

Divide the dough ball into 6 part or 8 parts. Remove one from the pile, recover the rest, and proceed to roll the dough into a rope around ¾ of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Do this with the rest of the dough.

Cut the ropes into ¾ inch long pieces and roll about on the floured surface so they are lightly dusted. When they are all cut, hold a fork in one hand, tines pointed down, and roll the gnocchi over the tines. You can either just score the one surface, or you can push hard enough with a finger tip to dimple the side opposite the tines. The second method leaves a place that will hold even more sauce. As the gnocchi are formed, put them on a sheet pan with parchment paper that has been dusted with flour. Keep them from touching if possible so they do not stick to one another.

Once the gnocchi are made, you can cook them right away, keep them refrigerated until you are ready to cook them, or put them into the freezer for later usage. Freeze on the sheet pans until form, and then bag them up. Do not thaw before cooking if frozen.

To cook the gnocchi, bring a large volume of water to a boil, and salt liberally. Have a large bowl or platter handy and coat with oil or melted butter. Bring the water to a gentle boil and drop in a few gnocchi at a time. Do not add so many that the water temperature drops below the gentle boil. Cook until the gnocchi float to the surface and give them another 30 seconds or so. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the water and drain before adding to the bowl with the oil/butter. Toss gently to coat with the fat. Continue until all the gnocchi you need are cooked.

You can just toss with some grated Parmesan cheese and eat as is if you like. OR-

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When hot, add some olive oil and butter. When the butter stops foaming, add a small handful of sage leaves and cook the sage on both sides so they are golden. Remove from the butter and save on a paper towel. They will crisp up. Tip the boiled gnocchi into the skillet and toss to coat with the sage butter. Cook without stirring until the bottoms of the gnocchi are browning and get a little crisp. Toss to turn them and brown a little more. Scatter with the sage leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve. Pass cheese separately. You can grate Amaretti cookies over the gnocchi if you wish.

Chef’s Notes and Tips:

Rosemary goes well with this recipe instead of sage. You could fry up little bits of pancetta and add them into the sauce, or you could add a little cream. If the gnocchi seem to be too dry or crumbly repeatedly, try adding one whisked egg yolk to the squash when you add the nutmeg, before adding the first cup of flour. This will enrich the gnocchi and help them hold together, but will make them a little denser.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen