1st October 2007

Pumpkin and Rosemary Gnocchi

Hooray!  Pumpkin is readily available in the UK for the month of October thanks to halloween.  Pumpkin has a much sweeter, richer flavour than butternut squash and is one of Australia's favourite veges.  If you live in the UK, make a large batch of gnocchi and freeze some for in a few months time when it's hard to get pumpkin.

800g pumpkin (approx. 400g cooked peeled weight)
100g parmesan, grated
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp pepper, ground
1/4 tsp ground rosemary, or 5 leaves, very finely chopped
8-10 tbsp 00 (pasta) flour
chilli flakes, rocket and basil, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C.  Cut pumpkin into large chunks, remove the seeds and place skin side down on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil.  Roast for 20-25 minutes or until very soft.  Allow to cool, then peel off skin and place pumpkin in a bowl.  If the flesh is very watery, sit it in a sieve for half an hour to drain off excess moisture - this will keep you from needing to add too much flour which will make the gnocchi too dense.

Add the parmesan, egg, pepper and rosemary to the pumpkin and stir well.  Gradually add flour until the mixture becomes like thick mashed potato.  Take a large spoonful and place on a well floured worktop.  With floured hands, gently roll the dough into a long log, then cut into pieces.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook gnocchi in batches of 10-12 pieces at a time.  The gnocchi is cooked when it floats to the surface, which will be between 3-5 minutes.  Place cooked gnocchi on a cling film lined tray, cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and add gnocchi.  Saute until brown on all sides.  Serve scattered with chilli flakes, salt and pepper, rocket and basil and finish off with a drizzle of extra virgin or rosemary oil.

Serves 4.