Pumpkin Gnocchi

Gnocchi (pronounced nyohk-kee) is a small dumpling and is most often made with potatoes, although it can also be made from flour, squash, cheese or even polenta. Gnocchi is served much in the same manner as pasta, with sauce or some butter and sage or Parmesan cheese. Gnocchi recipes date back to the twelfth century and are most common in the northern regions of Italy. To make the perfect gnocchi the potato needs to be floury, with minimum water content. The best are old Russet potatoes which are low in water and high in starch. Round (white or red) or Yukon potatoes would be too waxy and therefore would make the gnocchi either too heavy or too gummy and would cause them to break apart in the boiling water. This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay, ‘The New Cook‘. Sage is a pungent herb with a flavor that rarely diminishes over long cooking times.

Serves 4
750g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 egg yolk
Parmesan cheese shavings

Butter Sauce
125g butter
small handful of sage leaves (more if you like)

Place pumpkin in a saucepan of boiling water and cook until soft. Drain and press pumpkin through a potato ricer or a sieve. Return pumpkin to saucepan and add butter. Cook, stirring, over low heat until pumpkin has thickened and dried. Remove pan from heat and stir through flour, egg yolk and ground pepper. Mixture should be a soft dough. Roll tablespoons of mixture in the palm of your hand to form a flat disk. Press with fork on one side to indent.

To make sauce, place butter and sage in a saucepan over low heat and simmer until golden. Cook gnocchi a few at a time in a saucepan of boiling water until they rise to the top of the water. To serve, top gnocchi with butter sauce, Parmesan and pepper.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: The potatoes can be baked in the oven, but more often are boiled. In this case do not peel them but boil them with the skin on. This will avoid absorption of excess water. Gnocchi is a hearty meal all on its own!