There's No Gnocchi like Pumpkin Gnocchi, Like No Gnocchi I Know!

It's squash season again...  And I have been craving winter squash like crazy lately.  After I whet my whistle on the pumpkin biscuits a few days ago, I decided to revisit something I have been working on for awhile now....  Pumpkin Gnocchi.

I have been struggling with this one.  Mainly because of a lack of pumpkin flavor.  If I lower the potato content and add more flour, then they end up doughy.  If I don't add enough flour, then they disappear in a miasma of water and steam resulting in Potato/Pumpkin soup -- Very Frustrating.  I have finally turned to a somewhat unconventional ingredient that seems to have worked rather well.

I am sure I have broken the Gnocchi rules on this one.  The Gnocchi gods will rage against my machinations and I shall henceforth be labeled as a gnocchi heretic.  

I used.....   Potato Flour.  (you may all raise the back of your hand to your mouth in horror)

The main problem has been moisture content.  Pumpkin puree can be REALLY watery, and the flour can only absorb so much.  So I thought I would help it out by allowing the potato to absorb some of the pumpkin's juicy goodness in the form of flour instead of actual cooked potato....  This drops the overall moisture content, cause cooked potatoes are kind of wet too, and allows me to use a full 2 cups of puree instead of having to regulate myself to only1 cup, and thus diminishing the power of the pumpkin.

Tossed with Saged Brown Butter and a little Parmigiano-Reggiano and you have a succulent dish just brimming with autumnal goodness.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Printable Recipe
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) (100 g) Semolina
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated
2 cups (1 lb) (455 g) Pumpkin Puree
1/3 - 2/3 cup (2 - 4 oz) (57 - 114 g) Potato Flour  (this will depend on the moisture content of your puree)
1/2 cup (4 oz) (114 g) Butter
Sage Leaves
Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Combine Semolina, Kosher Salt, Black pepper and Nutmeg in a small bowl.

Place Pumpkin Puree in a bowl and add the Semolina mixture, stirring to combine.

Add 1/3 cup of the Potato Flour; Stirring to combine.

If the dough is still too soft and sticky, add another ounce (28 g) of the Potato Flour.

If it's STILL too sticky, add the remaining ounce of Potato Flour.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, until the dough becomes slightly elastic.

Cover with Plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle your work surface and a baking sheet with more Potato Flour (though you can use AP flour) and divide the  dough in 4 equal portions.

Working with 1 piece at a time, roll into a "snake"

Cut 1 inch chunks with a sharp knife.

Place a chunk in your palm and roll the back side of a fork over it.

Place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet when finished and continue in this way until all the dough has been used.

Give the gnocchi a final dusting of either Potato flour or AP flour and let rest while you........

Make Browned Butter

I have done this a couple times before, but I am going to cover it again, for it is a subject that is near and dear to my taste buds.

Melt 4 oz of Unsalted Butter in a sauce pan while you roughly chop about 4 Sage leaves.

Add the leaves to the melted butter (it will bubble a little as it cooks the water out of the leaves)

When the proteins settle out and begin to brown, remove the saucepan from the flame and filter through 2-3 layers of cheese cloth.

And there you have it;  Saged Brown butter in all it's exotic deliciousness...

 Bringin' it ALL together..... 

Cook gnocchi in Salted boiling water, a few at a time (I did it in 4 batches)

Remove them with a strainer when they begin to float.

Place them in a warmed bowl and drizzle with a little of the browned butter.

Repeat with the next batch; Boil, skim, drizzle.... Until all the gnocchi have been cooked.

Toss gently with a little more chopped Sage and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serve with more Parmigiano-Reggiano......

And DIG in!!!

Yes, cross over the the dark side....   it's ALL kinds of good!

Mangia!!
~~

Florida Sunshine Captured in Pasta - Tagliatelli Arancia

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor would you be mine.... Could you be mine.

This has got to have been the most awesome day in about 4 months. The weather has been positively gorgeous. It's 82 degrees, the sky is blue instead of a moist gray, the slight breeze is warm and inviting; almost intoxicating in it's "Green" fragrance. Though I must admit, when the strange glowing orb showed up in the sky this morning I was a little panic stricken that aliens were attacking or something. I guess I had forgotten what the Sun looked like. There has been an inordinate amount of "Liquid Sunshine" this Spring. Which really shouldn't surprise me, considering past events.

I moved to San Diego back in 1997 just in time for el Niño to hit and flood Mission Valley as well as washing bits of the city into the Pacific. In 2004, I moved to Palm Springs and half the Coachella Valley washed into the Salton Sea (Wettest winter in 35 years). Now I move back to Oregon and it's one of the wettest springs EVER!

I AM THE BRINGER OF RAIN! Which would make sense if I was an Aquarius, being the water bearer of the zodiac (Even though it's an air sign). But I am a Capricorn, so it makes absolutely NO sense what-so-ever. Never trust astrology.

I digress. Today, the Sun is shining bright in all it's golden glory, bringing me out of my soggy slump. Because of this, I have decided to wring the moisture out of some of my recipe cards and prepare a pasta dish to celebrate the return of the sun. Bright, light and refreshing citrus pasta, tossed with fresh spinach and a Lemon/Marsala braised mushroom cream sauce. YUM!

I had better get to crackin though, cause we gotta make the Orange Pasta. (yeah, this is gonna be kind of long)

Tagliatelli Arancia

297g (10.5 oz) AP Flour
170g (6 oz) Semolina
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 TB Olive oil
2 TB Orange Zest
4 TB Orange Juice (you may need up to 1 TB more)

In a bowl, combine AP Flour, Semolina and Salt; whisking to combine.

Create a well in the center.

Mix the Eggs, Olive oil, Orange Zest and Juice.

Pour the mixture into the well.

Begin stirring with your fingers, slowly incorporating more and more of the flour mixture into the liquid.

Continue until you have a dough ball in the center; if it seems a little dry, add up to 1 more TB of Orange juice.

Turn the whole mess out onto the counter and begin kneading until the pasta becomes smooth and elastic.

Wrap in plastic and let it relax for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces.

Work with 1 piece at a time and keep the others wrapped in plastic.

Roll through a pasta roller to about level 6.

Cut the resulting pasta sheet into 12 inch sections.

Flour each one and stack them up, then fold them in half.

Sprinkle with more flour and fold in half again. (Don't forget to flour the dough between the folds to prevent sticking.)

Slice noodles with a sharp knife to just under 1/4 inch thick.

Unfold and loosen all the noodles into a pile.

Lay out on a large pan and allow to air dry; tossing with a little more flour to prevent sticking.

Continue with the remaining dough until it has all been cut up.

Weight out 12 oz (340g) of pasta in a bowl (that is about 1/2 of this batch) and set aside for tonight's dinner.

So what do you do with the left over pasta.....?

Using a teacup, fill with 2 oz (57g) of pasta.

Turn out onto a baking sheet to create nests........

Set these aside to dry for 5 hours... Then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. (if your worried about salmonella from the eggs, the citric acid from the orange juice will kill salmonella; just like in mayonnaise)

Marsala Braised Mushroom Sauce

170g (6 oz) (4 cups) Fresh Spinach
227g (8 oz) Mushrooms, sliced
Juice of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
4 TB Butter
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 TB Dry Marsala Wine (not Sweet)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
340g (12 oz) Tagliatelli Arancia
Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for Serving

Set a large pot of water over hi heat and bring to a boil.

Wash the Spinach and spin it dry.

Then tear it up into smaller pieces (you can also chop it with a knife)

Melt butter in a skillet over medium flame....

Place sliced mushrooms in a bowl and toss with the Lemon Juice.

When the butter is foamy, add Garlic and Marsala; cooking for about 3 minutes.

Add the lemon soaked mushrooms and braise for about 4 minutes.

Drop the pasta and cook for 3 minutes. (Fresh pasta cooks in an instant)

Add the Heavy Cream to the Mushrooms sauce

and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat and finish it with Lemon Zest, Salt and Pepper.

Drain the Pasta and return to the pot.

Pour the Lemon Mushroom sauce over the top and toss.

Add the spinach and toss again, until it just begins to wilt.

Spoon into a serving dish.

Sprinkle with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano if you like....

Or place a grater and the Parmigiano-Reggiano on the table and allow the diners to control their cheese intake.

Sunshine in a bowl!

Mangia!!
~~