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.

Pumpkin Meatballs

Polpette di Zucca

This vegetarian meatballs are delicious!

 

 

Preparation time:  15 minutes
Cooking time: about  30 minutes

Serves  3-4

Ingredients:

water, about 4 cups (1 L) plus enough to soak the bread
salt, about 1 ½ tsp.
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin,
about ½ lb. (220g) Italian bread,
2 eggs,
1  cup (250ml) grated Pecorino Romano cheese[1],
2-3 tbsp. fresh minced parsley,
about ½ cup (120ml) of corn flour,
pepper to taste,
vegetable oil (enough to fry)

Method:

1.        Bring a large pot of water (about 4 cups or 1 L) with 1 tsp. of salt to a boil.  Add the pumpkin to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Then drain well and squeeze it to remove the water.
2.        Tear the bread into little pieces and soak in the water until it is soft; then squeeze by hand to remove the water.
3.        In a large bowl combine bread, pumpkin, eggs, cheese, parsley, corn flour, ½ tsp. of salt and pepper.  Mix all the ingredients, then, with your hands, form the meatballs.
4.        Heat the vegetable oil and fry them. Then season with salt and serve.

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[1] You can use Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese instead of the Pecorino Romano cheese.

Grilled Pumpkin

Zucca alla Brace

My husband thinks that this is our best way to cook the pumpkin!

 

 

Peel and thinly slice the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin slices on the grill and cook them for a few minutes on each side. Place the grilled slices in a serving plate, add minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with Italian bread. Buon appetito!

Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin cream

Pasta con Funghi e Crema di Zucca

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 40 minutes

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb. (250g) champignon mushrooms, sliced
½ lb. (250g) finely chopped pumpkin
Salt, about 1 tsp. + 1 tbsp.
1 cup (250 ml) white wine
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
Water, about 8 cups (2 L)
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) sedani rigati pasta
Black pepper to taste

Method:

1.        In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and slightly sauté. Add the mushrooms, pumpkin, 1 tsp. salt and white wine. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the liquid has reduced. Stir occasionally.
2.        Add the heavy cream and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese to the sauce, and mix well. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the mushrooms and pumpkin cream. Mix well and let cook together another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Notes:
·         You can use scialatielli, penne, or cortecce pasta in place of the sedani rigati.
·         You can use other kinds of fresh and tasty mushrooms in place of the champignon.

 

Arugula salad with Green Apple and Peanuts

Insalata di Rucola con Mela verde e Arachidi

What do you think about a delicious arugula salad? I made this salad combining the spicy arugula of my back yard, a sliced green apple, and some peanuts. I seasoned it with extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh lemon juice. The result was amazing!

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.

 

Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is one of our most popular dish, known in every restaurant in Italy and abroad. Some people think that to make gnocchi is such a difficult thing but the traditional recipe is so simple and quick. I prefer to boil the potatoes the day before so that the next day the process to make gnocchi is faster but also for another important reason: I have seen that if I keep in the refrigerator the boiled potatoes (with skin) for 1-2 days, they become more dried, so that at the moment to make the gnocchi, they absorb less flour and the gnocchi are more soft and tasteful. In fact, it’s important to use only the minimum amount of flour because more flour you add, less flavorful the gnocchi will be. But I must say that many people (my mum also) like to boil the potatoes just before to make the gnocchi and their gnocchi are delicious too.

I recommend to master the recipe because in the next weeks I will publish my recipe of pumpkin gnocchi; it isn’t a traditional recipe but it’s a delicious dish and very suitable for this season.

  

 

Preparation time: 40  minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:

1 ½ lb. (700g) potatoes

2 cups (500ml) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

For the tomato sauce:

7 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cans Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 14 ounces (400 grams) each
½ cup (120 ml) water
Salt, about 1 tsp.
Pepper to taste

To boil gnocchi:

Water, about 10 cups (2 ½ L)
2 tbsp. salt

About ½ cup (120 milliliters) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese

Method:

1.        Prepare the gnocchi: Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until just tender. Drain well, cool and peel them. Then mash with a fork or a potato masher.
2.        In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, flour and 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 in the refrigerator.
6.        Prepare the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté. Add the tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper; stir well and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Then, with an immersion blender, blend the sauce and set aside.
7.        Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi: bring 10 cups (2 ½ L) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tbsp. 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 tomato sauce. Let cook all together 2–3 minutes, gently stirring.
8.        Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving.