Cooking with pumpkin: gnocchi
As mentioned in my previous post, I used the other half of my pumpkin for delicious gnocchi. I don’t make gnocchi very often, not more than a couple of times per year. Although I like them, their heavy consistency puts me off somehow (I’m talking about potato gnocchi here). I’ve also tried quark cheese-based gnocchi which are put together in much less time and are healthier, too – but not as tasty as the potato ones. Yet now I can say, I had no idea what a good gnoccho was – until trying these delectable pumpkin gnocchi!
I used a mix of white spelt flour and rice flour for an even lighter consistency and I sautéed the pumpkin slices instead of steaming them. A dash of turmeric powder helped preserve the beautiful yellow-to-orange color of gnocchi, so if you have it at hand I highly recommend it.
PUMPKIN GNOCCHI
recipe adapted from Gastronomía y cía
Ingredients for 3 or 4 servings:
530g of pumpkin, washed, cored and chopped into smaller pieces
200g white spelt flour
100g rice flour + a bit more for shaping
1 large egg
80g grated cheese (I used 60g neutral cow cheese and 20g Parmesan)
freshly grated nutmeg, a generous amount of
freshly ground (black) pepper
a dash of turmeric
olive oil
a pinch or two of salted
1. Sautée the chopped pumpkin in some olive oil until soft, seasoning it with salt, nutmeg, pepper and turmeric.
2. Let cool then using a blender mix it together with an egg and grated cheese.
3. The pumpkin mix will have a pretty liquid consistency. Now start adding the flour little by little, while stirring with a wooden spoon until homogeneous.
4. Place the obtained pumpkin dough in the fridge and let rest for at least an hour. The rested dough will be easier to shape.
5. Shape the gnocchi by dividing the dough into smaller portions, rolling each one of them into a finger-thick rolls. Cut them into little pillows (or as you like) and place them on a floured board until ready to be boiled. If you think you’ll have leftovers, I recommend you freeze them at this point by gathering them on a floured wooden board which you place in the freezer until frozen – then you can transfer them into a zipper storage bag.
6. Boil the gnocchi in salty water. Once they float to the surface they are cooked.
7. I served them like this:
With meat sauce for Juanpi…
… and with pumpkin seeds, grated Parmesan and a splash of best quality pumpkin seed oil for me – the taste was unforgettable!
I loved this pumpkin challenge and I’m looking forward to preparing more such tasty dishes with some other type of squash as well!
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