Sunday, December 14, 2008

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter

I planned to make this dish several weeks ago, but other things kept coming up that I wanted to try instead. However, I really want to make some space in my freezer and I had just enough pumpkin to make this. I have never made my own pasta before, so this was a nice and simple introduction to that world. Now, I want to get a pasta roller and make all sorts of things. As if I need another thing to clutter my odd kitchen. As usual, I made a couple of mistakes, but overall this turned out well. I forgot to add the salt and nutmeg called for in the original recipe to the pumpkin mixture, but I salted the pasta water well enough, that it made up for it. Since I am not the hugest fan of nutmeg, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. Remember that thing I said, about not being all there lately, this was classic, but it ended well. This is a pretty hearty dish so if you're looking for something filling on a cold night, this could definitely fit the bill.

You know what else? This would look really good on Christmas plates! Click here to find out how to win a set.



Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter
(Adapted from Cookthink)

1/2 cup pumpkin purée
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
6 tablespoons whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5-8 fresh sage leaves (depending on the size, mine were small)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

Stir the egg yolk into the pumpkin. Add the whole wheat flour, then half the all-purpose flour and stir just to combine the flour with the pumpkin. Add the remaining flour a little at a time, stirring, until the mixture forms a dough.

On a floured work surface, knead the dough two or three times to firm it up, taking care not to overwork the dough or the gnocchi will be tough. Separate the dough into four pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Again, on a floured work surface, roll each ball out into a long dowel shape, about an inch in diameter. With a fork or pastry knife, cut the dowel into 2-inch pieces. Roll each piece across the back of a fork with your thumb to form a small indentation on one side and ridges on the other. Toss the finished gnocchi with flour.

Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the sage leaves and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Shake the pan around until the butter lightly browns, then remove the pan from the heat so the butter doesn't burn.

Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook them until they rise to the surface, 4-6 minutes per batch. Put the butter back over medium heat if it has cooled. Drain and add the gnocchi to the skillet with the butter and sage and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

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22 comments:

vanillasugarblog said...

Yay I'm first :::doing a funky dance::: lol
Sage butter, you are so very clever! This is the perfect match up. Isn't pasta making fun? And yes, once you start doing it then you want all those funky gadgets.
I was trying to find you on facebook....I'm there

Esi said...

Dawn, you're hilarious. I just added you on Facebook!

Erica said...

Looks great Esi! I have only maybe Gnocchi once and it turned out a bit mushy so I am excited to try it again! I bet the pumpkin flavor adds something extra special!

Anonymous said...

those gnocchi look great! i love the addition of the pumpkin. we just made acorn squash gnocchi and i loved the texture, flavor and color. the color on yours are so bright...lovely dish.

Anonymous said...

A real classic.
Pumpkin rarely looks so good as when it's Gnocchi.

Unknown said...

lol, i know what you mean about those gadgets! i've put the pasta rollers off for the time being... these look fabulous :) gnocchi is still something i want to get better with!

Diana said...

Drooooool. Pumpkin and gnocchi are two of my favorite things. I am so jealous of this dish!

P.S. I watched Love Actually last night and thought of you! I love Hugh Grant! (Especially when he does that little shimmy dance after he kicks hiney in his speech!)

Esi said...

omg, Diana! I went to a holiday party last night...well, actually it was like an all day party and Love Actually was on in the background and we spent 20 minutes debating the hotness of Rodrigo Santoro...apparently some people don't agree that he is such a babe. I totally love Hugh Grant's dance too!

Sharon said...

I really can't get enough of pumpkin...anything. Yum! You know, they kinda look like little Capt'n Crunches. :)

Heather said...

yum!! they look delicious! i love, love, love gnocchi. another thing i remember making a lot with my grandma! the sage butter sounds delish... and i'll bet this would look very lovely on some christmas plates :)

Reeni said...

I am such a pumpkin and sage lover, these look delicious! You did an awesome job on them. I would of never known it was your first time.

Maggie said...

this looks delicious. I've never made gnocchi but definitely want to.

The Food Librarian said...

If I saw this in a menu, I would soooo order it. Do you do take-out? :) Looks great!

Debbie said...

I would love to try this dish. It looks wonderful. I love pumpkin!

muddywaters said...

I'm putting this on my family's menu this week. I love it, love it, love it.

I plan on visiting your site often.

take care,
muddywaters

Anonymous said...

Oh man, Esi - this sounds amazing! Got it flagged to try soon. I've been into pumpkin a lot more this season...excellent stuff!

Katy said...

Thank you SO much for the recipe! I made it tonight, and it was delicious. I am on Weight Watchers, so I substituted Smart Balance for the butter, and dried (I KNOW) sage for fresh. It had a great texture.

Next time, I think I will brown some balsamic butter with the butter, and add kosher salt instead of table salt.

Thanks!

angela@spinachtiger said...

I've been hungry for pumpkin but more savory and this fits the bill. I may try this tomorrow and I wonder if spelt flour would work?

ravendraka said...

I have some left over pumpkin mash, but it has some ricotta bits in it, is this ok?

Esi said...

ravendraka, that should be fine. If the mixture seems too wet, add more flour

Kimski said...

I actually made these gluten free by substituting 8-9 tbsp GF flour and 1 tbps tapioca flour (to help it bind). I wasn't sure what to expect, if they would fall apart in the boil - but they came out GREAT. SO delicious!!

Esi said...

Kimski, I'm so happy it worked out for you!