Pumpkin gnocchi with herby butter and parmesan crisps
- Prep: 20m
- Cook: 30m
- Serves: 2
Gnocchi take a bit of work, but it’s not a complicated process and the results are delicious and filling. It’s a colourful dish for a cold night.
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 205°C / 195°C fan / gas mark 6.
- Cut the squash into chunks, roughly 2-3cm, toss in the olive oil and a pinch of salt then arrange on a large baking tray, giving them plenty of space. Roast for 30 minutes or until well cooked and charred at the edges.
- While the squash is cooking, sprinkle the grated Parmesan onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment to make a thin layer then bake in the oven for 10 minutes where it will melt together and bubble. Remove and leave to cool. It will harden and turn into a crisp sheet you can snap into shards. Set aside.
- After your squash has baked for 30 minutes, give it a prod. The cooking time depends on how much water there is in your pumpkin flesh. It’s important there’s not much water left or the gnocchi won’t hold together, so cook for a few more minutes if it feels soggy. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth. You should have around 300g purée.
- Mix the squash puree with the egg yolk, flour and a pinch of salt and knead into a soft dough. Be warned, it’s a messy job but persevere. Once combined, flour your hands and a work surface and roll out thick ropes of dough around 1cm in diameter. Cut the ropes into rectangular pillows and dust with a little more flour to prevent sticking. You can roll the pillows over a fork with your thumb to create the classic gnocchi divots too if you want the traditional look.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the parsley and garlic. Leave on a very low heat while you cook the gnocchi.
- Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil, salt it heavily and add the gnocchi. Once the gnocchi rise to the top (around 2 minutes) leave them to boil for another minute then fish them out with a slotted spoon into a colander.
- Toss the gnocchi in the butter, divide between two warmed plates and serve with a few parmesan crisps.
Ingredients
All to be sourced organic where possible
- 500g peeled and de-seeded squash (roughly ½ butternut squash)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 30g Parmesan, grated
- 1 egg yolk
- 100g 00 pasta flour
- 50g butter
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
