Pumpkin Gnocchi

Begin by preparing the pumpkin. Cut it in half, without removing the peel, and place in a baking dish lined with coarse salt. Cover the pumpkin with aluminum foil and cook at 350°F oven for about an hour.

Once the pumpkin is tender, remove it from the oven and let cool: then peel and pass through a potato masher. 

To make the dough for the pumpkin gnocchi, place the mashed pumpkin on a flat work surface. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together with the egg and flour.

Check the consistency of the dough: it should be soft and light and not stick to your fingertips.

At this point, shape the gnocchi.

Dust the work surface with a little flour and cut off a small amount of the gnocchi dough. Roll this into a log and cut into small cylindrical pieces.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water.

While the gnocchi are cooking, prepare the sauce: in a skillet, melt the butter with a couple of fresh sage leaves.

Add a tablespoon of cooking water to the butter and stir to make a sauce.

Once the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot, remove them using a slotted spoon.

Carefully toss them in the melted butter. Finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Buon appetito!

Chef’s tips

Pumpkin is a common fall ingredient in Italy and can be used for different preparations, both sweet and savory. However, it is important to pay attention to how watery the pumpkin is that you are using: if the mixture you are making is too moist or soft, add more flour, little by little, until you get the right consistency.

Food History

Popular throughout Italy, gnocchi are quick and easy to prepare. From the North to the South, they are made with different ingredients, from the classic potato version, to those made with semolina, breadcrumbs, rice flour, corn flour and many other ingredients.

This variation made with pumpkin is typical of the cooking traditions in Northern Italy and is consumed mainly in autumn, when pumpkin is in season.

This fall dish is dedicated to Father of Gnoco, Tomasso Da Vico, the most celebrated patron of the Carnival of Verona. His mask is that of an old man, benevolent and bearded, holding a large golden fork with a potato gnoco on the end. This Veronian tradition dates back to the the terrible famine that struck the city in 1531. Hungry citizens poured into the streets to attack the ovens and the revolt was averted by the intervention of Tommaso Da Vico who had distributed, at his own expense, bread, butter, flour and cheese on the last Friday of Carnival. Every year, this event is reenacted during the Carnival of Verona.

Other suggested recipes

• Pumpkin Puree with Goat Cheese Mousse and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
• Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Pie