Pumpkin Gnocchi

FROM SUE · PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Thick, cold pumpkin puree gives these gnocchi a soft dough that holds its shape with a measured amount of flour. The recipe makes 18 large pieces, six for each of three servings. Press shallow grooves into each piece and add one pumpkin seed as a stem after boiling. A gentle simmer cooks the centers without breaking the ridges. Sage butter and Parmesan finish the dish.

Prep: 35 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 250 g Pumpkin puree
• 180 g All-purpose flour
• 1 yolk Egg yolk
• 40 g Parmesan
• 60 g Butter
• 10 leaves Fresh sage
• 18 kernels Pumpkin seeds
• a pinch Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Salt
• to taste Black pepper

Instructions

1. Check the pumpkin puree before you mix the dough. Use 250 g of plain, unsweetened puree that has cooled to room temperature or colder. It should hold a soft mound on a spoon. If it looks watery, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 10 minutes, then weigh 250 g. Do not use sweetened pumpkin pie filling. Grate the Parmesan, separate the yolk and keep the egg white for another use.
2. Fill a wide pot with water and set it over medium heat while you prepare the dough. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat so the surface moves with small bubbles. Keep the water below a rolling boil; strong bubbling can knock the ridges from the gnocchi. Set a lightly floured tray near the pot for the shaped pieces. Use no more than 1 tablespoon of extra flour to dust the counter and tray.
3. Put the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, 30 g of the grated Parmesan, the teaspoon of salt, a pinch of nutmeg and black pepper in a bowl. Stir with a fork until the yolk disappears and the mixture looks even. Keep the remaining 10 g of Parmesan for serving. Do not taste the mixture or raw dough because it contains uncooked egg and flour.
4. Measure the listed 180 g of flour and set aside about 2 tablespoons. Fold the rest into the pumpkin mixture with a spatula. Add the reserved flour 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together and feels tacky without coating your fingers in a wet layer. Stop when it is soft and workable; adding all the flour at once can make the gnocchi dense. If the dough still sticks, use the measured extra tablespoon only to flour your hands and work surface.
5. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 5 minutes while the water heats. This gives the flour time to absorb moisture and makes the dough easier to portion. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl, then turn it once or twice with a lightly floured spatula. Avoid kneading it like bread. A short, gentle mix keeps the cooked centers tender.
6. Dust the counter with a thin film of the extra flour. Divide the dough into 18 even pieces, about 25–30 g each. Roll each piece between your palms into a ball, then flatten it slightly so it sits upright. Use the blunt edge of a small knife or a fork to press five or six shallow lines from the top toward the base. Keep the grooves on the surface; deep cuts can split a piece when you lift it. Arrange the shapes on the tray with a little space between them.
7. Cook the gnocchi in two batches of nine. Slide the first batch into the simmering water with a slotted spoon, leaving room for each piece to move. Stir once with the back of the spoon so none sticks to the bottom. When the pieces rise, keep them at a gentle simmer for 3–5 minutes. Cut the largest one in half with a clean knife. The center should feel hot and tender, with no gummy or raw-flour streak. For a temperature check, aim for 71°C (160°F) in the center. If it looks dense, cook the batch for another minute and check again.
8. Lift the cooked gnocchi onto a clean plate with the slotted spoon and let excess water drain. Return the pot to a gentle simmer, then cook the second batch the same way. Check one center from this batch too, since large shapes can cook at different rates. Keep the first batch warm while the second cooks. Do not put cooked gnocchi back on the tray that held raw dough unless you wash it first.
9. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over low to medium-low heat while the second batch cooks. When it foams, add the sage leaves in one layer. Swirl the pan and watch the butter; cook until the leaves darken a little and the butter smells nutty, about 2–3 minutes. Lower the heat if brown specks appear fast. Remove the pan from the heat if the butter starts to smoke or the sage edges turn black.
10. Transfer all the drained gnocchi to the sage-butter skillet. Turn them with a broad spoon until each piece has a light coating. If the butter clings in patches, stir in 1 tablespoon of hot cooking water and turn the pan once more. Keep the heat low so the sauce does not fry the soft ridges. Set the gnocchi on plates, press one pumpkin seed into the top of each piece after boiling, and scatter the remaining Parmesan over the servings.
11. Serve six gnocchi per person while the butter is warm. Lift each piece from underneath so the ridges stay intact, and divide the sage leaves between the plates. Check the center of a large piece before serving; if it is cool or floury, return the batch to a gentle simmer for another minute and check again. Let portions cool before serving to young children, since the centers hold heat.

Kitchen notes

• Use puree that holds its shape. For homemade puree, remove excess water before weighing the 250 g. Keep the additional bench flour to 1 tablespoon; the nutrition estimate counts the full allowance, even though some may remain on the counter.
• Make all 18 pieces close to the same size so they finish together. Shallow grooves give the pumpkin shape while leaving enough dough between each line to keep the pieces intact. If the dough warms and becomes hard to handle, chill it for 5 minutes before shaping.
• Parmesan can use animal or microbial rennet. Choose a Parmesan made with microbial or vegetarian rennet if you need a vegetarian meal. The recipe has no vegetarian diet label because the cheese rennet is unspecified.