INGREDIENTS / PREPARATION / TIPS
Yellow, orange, red: these are the colors of autumn, whose warm hues accompany us in the transition from long, bright summer days to shorter and darker cold winter days.
The changing of the seasons reminds us that Life is a succession of changes that alternate cyclically from year to year... and year after year with the first leaves falling, nature offers us wonderful colorful vegetables that grow numerous on the surface of the ground like pumpkins.
Pumpkins have accompanied human nutrition since ancient times.
In Italy we find them everywhere from North to South and prepared in a variety of recipes ranging from stuffed pasta to stews and soups.
The recipe for gnocchi di zucca (pumpkin gnocchi) is a classic of cucina povera cuisine that complements the better-known recipe for gnocchi with potatoes.
I love this recipe for its simplicity and essential nature: very few seasonal ingredients for a dish full of color and flavor.
INGREDIENTS
for 4 servings N.B. Take our recipes as a suggestion and feel free to experiment and adjust ingredients and ratios to your taste! Gnocchi dough:
800 gr butternut pumpkin (you can easily replace it with another pumpkin)
250 gr durum wheat semolina
1 egg (you can omit the egg for a vegan version)
half teaspoon of ground of nutmeg
Sauce:
100 g butter (you can replace the butter with olive oil for a vegan version)
a few sage leaves
pepper
DIRECTIONS Wash, clean the pumpkin of seeds, peel it and cut it in pieces or slices. Bake the pumpkin for about 45 minutes in a 150-degree ventilated oven. Alternatively, you can steam the pumpkin until soft.
When it has cooled, mash it with a fork or potato masher. Add semolina, egg and nutmeg and mix it until you get a smooth consistency.
Using extra flour, make rolls about 2 cm in diameter and cut them into pieces about 2 cm long.
You can leave the gnocchi in small pieces or line them using a gnocchi-board or fork.
COOKING
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon or two of salt (the water must be almost as salty as sea water!).
Lower the gnocchi into the water a few at a time. Stir the pot occasionally to prevent the gnocchi from sticking to the pot or each other. Cook until all the gnocchi have bobbed to the surface of the water, about few minutes.
Meanwhile, melt some butter with the sage leaves and pepper. When the gnocchi are ready, sautè them in the sauce adding little by little the gnocchi cooking water until you get a creamy consistency. N.B. Freshly made gnocchi absorbs a lot of water, keep adding it if you notice the sauce starts to dry out!
Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese according to taste.
TIPS
There are a few general things to keep in mind when it comes to making gnocchi, that it's worth remembering:
The gnocchi dough is normally quite soft an d sticky! You can adjust the amount of flour in the recipe depending on the moisture content of the pumpkin. In case you find it impossible to shape the dough into small pieces you can add some more flour.
The flour is also responsible for the final consistence and hardness of the gnocchi.
Do not overdo the flour in the dough: too much flour makes the gnocchi hard. Try instead to train the sensitivity and skills of your hands while shaping a quite soft dough.
Use ample flour for dusting: you'll need plenty of extra flour to shape the gnocchi and make sure they don't stick to the work surface, your hands, and each other.
Freezing the gnocchi: if you are not cooking the gnocchi right away, you can freeze them first on a baking sheet or tray, making sure to arrange them separately without them touching each other, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container once they are solid. Gnocchi will keep for about 3 months. Cook directly from the freezer, don't thaw them or they will stick.
Try it out, be creative and enjoy it.
With Love,
Maria-Lucrezia
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