Gnocchi di Zucca (Pumpkin Gnocchi)

Last month, my friend Stefania (of previous gnocchi fame) taught me how to make pumpkin gnocchi. This gnocchi uses no potatoes, just delicious sweet pumpkin, flour, egg, and olive oil.  The pumpkin of choice here is the green-skinned, orange-fleshed, local "Delica" pumpkin; very sweet and delicious. When I arrived at her house that day, she had already skinned the pumpkin, so no pics of the green skin.  But you can google "zucca delica" or see a picture here.  Or, you can see a pic of one on my post about my Pumpkin cooking class; it's the 10th picture down.  

After I arrived, we began cutting the skinned pumpkin into thick wedges.  Then we removed the seeds and set them aside in a bowl.  Stefania used her pressure cooker to cook the wedges fast.  (Next two pictures.)

After the pressure cooker, Stefania kind of broke the pumpkin up and put it on a baking sheet into a warm over to dry it out a little.  You don't want much excess water in there.  Then, we put the pumpkin through a ricer to make sure it was super smooth.  Then, we added the egg, flour, and other ingredients until the dough was the right consistency.  This dough will not be nearly as stiff as potato gnocchi dough, because we're not rolling it out.  We're dropping spoonfuls into salted, boiling water, so it can remain soft; it just has to be able to hold together in the boiling water. When they float to the top, remove them and set them in a baking or serving dish. (Next four pics).

While the gnocchi is cooking, melt some (unsalted) butter and add a bunch of fresh sage leaves.  This will be the sauce for the gnocchi.  As they come out of the boiling water, drain them well and add .them to a baking or serving dish, and pour the sage butter over them.  Serve with freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano on top.  (Next three pics.)

Gnocchi di Zucca
from my friend Stefania

Pumpkin Gnocchi:
1 delica squash/pumpkin or equivalent
2 egg yolks
bit of olive oil
flour- to form a somewhat loose dough
salt & pepper

For serving:
unsalted butter
fresh sage leaves
Grana Padano or Parmigiano cheese,

1.  Peel the squash, cut into wedges, and remove seeds.  Cook the squash and let dry after.  (You can steam or pressure cook it.  After, break into smaller pieces and let dry in a low oven for a little bit to get rid of excess water.)

2.  Push the soft squash through a ricer and mix it up to get it really smooth.  Add the egg yolks, a glug of olive oil, and the salt and pepper.  Then, mix in flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth but not too stiff.  You will not be rolling it out; just dropping spoonfuls into boiling water.  It needs to be able to hold together in the water.

3.  Heat a large pot of water to boil and salt it generously.  When it is boiling, test a small piece of the dough by dropping it into the water.  If it holds together, the dough is ready.  If it falls apart, you need to add more flour to the dough before proceeding.  Keep doing a test piece until it no longer falls apart.

4.  Cook all the gnocchi by dropping spoonfuls into the boiling water using two spoons. (Push the dough off of one spoon using the other spoon).  When the gnocchi float to the top, remove from the water with a slotted spoon or something similar, letting all the water drain off.  Set gnocchi into a serving dish or big pan.

5.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the sage.  As the gnocchi come out of the water and are set in the dish, drizzle a little of the sage butter over them.

6.  Serve with freshly grated Grana or Parmigiano.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **