Pumpkin Gnocchi with Rosemary and Lemon sauce

Gnocchi di zucca con salsa al Rosmarino e Limone

This is not a traditional recipe of our cuisine but I love it. I like to prepare the pumkin gnocchi in this season because my kids find so fun to eat them because they associate them to the pumpkin and to Halloween. I think that the possibility to give to our kids a good dish of healthy homemade pasta has no price!
As for our traditional gnocchi (I published the recipe only a few weeks ago) it’s important to use only the minimum amount of flour because more flour you add, less flavorful the gnocchi will be.

Preparation time: 40  minutes

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

For the pumpkin gnocchi:

6 cups (1 ½ L) water
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin
Salt, about 1 tbsp. + ½ tsp.
3 cups (750ml) all-purpose flour

For the Rosemary and Lemon sauce:
4-5 fresh rosemary sprigs
Extra virgin olive oil, about 13 tbsp.
5 tbsp. regular butter
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese, about 1 cup (250 ml)
4 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt, about ½ tsp.
Pepper to taste

To boil gnocchi:
Water, about 10 cups (2 ½ L)
2 tbsp. salt

Method:

1.        Prepare the pumpkin gnocchi: bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pumpkin and 1 tbsp.salt. Cover and let cook 10 minutes or until tender. Then drain the pumpkin well, cool and mash with a fork.
2.        In a large bowl, combine mashed pumpkin, flour and ½ tsp. salt. Then use your hands to knead until a soft dough forms. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour.
3.        Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take a small piece of dough at the time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about the thickness of your thumb.
4.        With a knife, cut the rolls into pieces about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) long. To shape the gnocchi, hold a fork in one hand and using your fingertip, roll each piece of gnocchi over the tines of the fork pressing gently to form a slight “C” (good for catching the sauce).
5.        Set each gnocchi in a flat serving plate, dusted with flour.  Dust with a bit more flour and then place the plate of gnocchi in the refrigerator.
6.        Prepare the Rosemary and Lemon sauce: Remove the rosemary leaves from the stems and place them in a large pan. Add 8 tbsp. oil and let cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Then add the butter and let melt. Turn off the heat and, stirring constantly, add 4 tbsp. of Parmigiano cheese, another 5 tbsp. oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
7.        Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi: bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, two-three at the time, to avoid that they can stick together, and boil them, gently stirring occasionally, until they rise to the surface of the water. Continue cooking gnocchi at the surface for about 1 minute, then remove with a large slotted spoon, drain well, and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Let cook all together 2–3 minutes, gently stirring.
8.        Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving.

Pasta and Pumpkin soup

Zuppa di Pasta e Zucca

The season of the pumpkin has arrived. Today, here in Rome is raining a lot! What could be better than a soupy dish of Pasta with Pumpkin in a rainy day of Autumn like this?

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 45 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

9 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin
About 1 ½ tsp. salt
2 cups water
½ lb. (approximately 250 grams) lumachine pasta
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until light brown. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat.
2.        Then add the pumpkin, salt and water. Cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
3.        When the pumpkin is tender, add the pasta to the pot and more water if necessary; the simmering liquid must be just enough to cover the pasta, so make sure you don’t add too much water. Cook over medium low heat and stir constantly until the pasta is al dente.
4.        At this point, taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Top each serving of pasta with a sprinkle of black pepper and parsley.

Notes:

·         You can use other kinds of Italian short pasta like tubetti, conchigliette or ruote in place of the lumachine.