Monday, October 18, 2010

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Mushrooms

For me, fall means all things pumpkin, apple, and pear (as if that weren't obvious given my most recent blog posts).  While obviously I've been baking with these ingredients a lot, I've been using them in savory recipes as well.  Martha Stewart has some great slideshows showcasing seasonal ingredients on her site.  I like to go on there and just flip through ingredient after ingredient when the mood to cook strikes, and that's where I found this recipe.  I have been wanting to make gnocchi for quite some time now, and though I had plans to make potato gnocchi, I just couldn't pass up a chance to cook with pumpkin.

I was a little discouraged as I was making this, as the dough required significantly more flour than is called for.  Though to be fair, I used canned pumpkin over fresh, and that could have made a difference.  I might have also just added too much, but it was so sticky there is no way I could have shaped anything out of it.  I honestly don't know how much more I added, I just added a tablespoon at a time until I reached a dough I was happy with.  My gnocchi-shaping skills leave much to be desired, but practice makes perfect, so I guess I'll just have to make more gnocchi!

After forming the gnocchi, the recipe comes together quite quickly.  They are cooked in boiling water while you make a sauce of shallots, mushrooms, more pumpkin, sage, and cream.  This is a really indulgent meal, but trust me when I say that a little bit goes a long way.  I ate what amounted to one serving, and I was really really full afterwards.

We all really enjoyed this dinner, which is saying a lot because Joey doesn't typically care for pumpkin.  He even went so far as to say it was one of the best things I had made in the past few weeks.  The gnocchi are soft little pillows of dough, and the pumpkin plays very well off the richness of the cream and the earthiness of the mushrooms. While I made this on a Monday night, it is better suited for a weekend meal, and would be an impressive dish to serve to guests as well.

One Year Ago:  Easy Crockpot White Bean and Chicken Chili


Pumpkin Gnocchi with Mushrooms
adapted from Martha Stewart, originally from Chef Frank DeCarlo
serves 4
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups flour, plus more as needed
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg, plus more for serving
  • 1 1/4 cups grated Pamigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 fresh sage leaves
  • 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Mound the flour, nutmeg, and 1 Tablespoon salt on a large work surface.  Form a well in the center, and add 1 cup of the grated cheese and all but 1/4 cup of the pumpkin puree.   Slowly incorporate the flour, beginning from the inner rim of the well.  Form dough into a rounded mass, and knead 4-5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and on a well-floured surface, roll each portion into a cylinder of about 1-inch diamter.  Cut the dough into 1/2-inch segments and set aside.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the gnocchi, and cook 4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots, sage, and mushrooms, and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup pumpkin, stock, white wine, cream, and 1/4 cup grated cheese.  Cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.  Season with salt and pepper

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi from the boiling water to the skillet, and toss to combine.  Divide evenly among serving bowls, and top with additional cheese and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Serve immediately.


10 comments:

Roxan said...

Ok, so I'm not the only one. Gnocchi is so hard to make! I made it for the first time recently and the whole thing ended up in the trash. i didn't use enough flour either. I tried it again the next night and it turned out a lot better but I still think i have a lot of improvement that's needed. I totally want to try making pumpkin gnocchi though... i bet it's delicious. Especially with tons of mushrooms.. mmmmm

Katherine said...

Do you think this gnocci can be made a day in advance?

Ginny said...

well, that is just lovely! :)

the blissful baker said...

wow, this is very impressive! i've always been too intimidated to make gnocchi at home, but this pumpkin version looks too good to pass up!

Taylor said...

I've never made gnocchi...it sounds intimidating! Your picture looks amazing!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I tried making this last night and it came out great! The gnocchi were a LITTLE dense - any suggestions?

Josie said...

Elena,
Mine were a little dense too -I think I added too much flour. But it was hard to get a good consistency w/o all the flour... so I'm no help - Sorry! Glad you enjoyed them though!

Josie said...

Katherine,
I'm really not sure. I would think you could form them, lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap, but I've never done it so have no experience. Good luck!

eatme_delicious said...

I don't think this recipe could sound more perfect if it tried. I can't wait to make it! I've made lemon ricotta gnocchi before but never pumpkin gnocchi mmmm.

Alejandra said...

I just finished making this and it was total heaven! My boyfriend and I moved in together a couple months back and I has been hard to find recipes we could both enjoy since he is a strict vegetarian and I am only a semi-vegetarian(no red meat or pork) sp it was nice to find something savory that we could both enjoy.

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