Thanksgiving seems to beget leftover pumpkin. It never fails. It is the joy of baking pies. Most use the leftovers for sweet things - muffins, cookies, and the like - but what about something savory? Try this recipe for pumpkin gnocchi with a butter and sage sauce, served with mushrooms and arugula.
My gnocchi wasn't perfect looking, but taste is key. I tried to fork roll them, and learned to not over-work the dough. Too much handling will cause the finished product to be gummy.
The recipe calls for 2 cups pumpkin, but just remember that it's a 1:1 ratio of pumpkin to flour, so use what you have and taste as you go!
“Good gnocchi should be little pillows of heaven.”
Ingredients
2 cup leftover pumpkin (but not the sweetened pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups flour, plus more for work surface ("00" is best, but not necessary)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
A wedge of Grano Padano cheese for grating
Unsalted butter & EVOO
4 shallots, finely sliced
A few cloves of garlic
20 medium chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed (because of cost, I used cremini mushrooms instead)
8 fresh sage leaves
A few handfuls of arugula
How-To
Mound flour in center of a large work surface and add 1/2 tsp salt and the nutmeg. Using a fork, mix until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add pumpkin and grated cheese to well. Slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When flour is incorporated, gather dough together to form a rounded mass, and knead mixture until smooth.
Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter; cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces.
This is where you can fork roll for the classic gnocchi.
Transfer gnocchi to a baking sheet and cover with a clean, damp towel. Repeat process until all the dough has been used.
Bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they rise to the top, only a few minutes.
Meanwhile, heat EVOO and butter in a saute pan. Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms, and saute until all the liquid from the mushrooms is gone and the shallots look golden. Season with pepper as you cook.
If you want to make this recipe taste great, take the sage leaves and pat dry. Add to small pan with a pit of EVOO and "fry" into crispy leaves. The leaves will pop until crispy. Remove and let dry on a paper towel.
Add cooked gnocchi, saute until the gnocchi is golden. Carefully add arugula and toss.
Serve immediately with crumbled sage and grated cheese.
