Fried Pumpkin Gnocchi

I have to tell you that I wasn't sure how this would turn out. I had never made gnocchi before tonight. I am happy to report that making your own gnocchi is actually not hard at all! I am so glad that I found the underground world of food bloggers. Not only has it given me an outlet to post some of my own creations, but it also allows me to share some of the fabulous recipes that I have found by other food bloggers. I thought these were *really* good. If I had to do it all over again I would add more salt and seasonings to the dough and maybe even add a little sage to the gnocchi before cooking them instead of just adding the sage to the sauce at the end. All in all they were excellent, though!

Fried Pumpkin Gnocchi

• 1/2 cup skim milk ricotta
  
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup grated parmegiano reggiano
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt ( or 1/2 tsp table salt)
  
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh sage
• freshly shaved parmegiano reggiano for garnishing *optional*

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (you will only use the oven to keep the gnocchi warm while you are cooking the second batch)

Combine the ricotta, parmesan, pumpkin, egg yolk and salt in a bowl.

Mix to incorporate

Pour half of the total flour (1/2 cup) over the mixture and stir a few times until it is just blended together.

Lightly flour a work surface or dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Pour the mixture out on the work surface and add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Knead the dough with your fingers gently until all the flour is incorporated. Only work the dough for a few minutes or you will over knead the dough.


You will know the dough is done when it is no longer sticky and when the dough is pressed it leaves an indentation without sticking to your finger. You may need to add a little extra flour if your dough is too sticky. Just add a little at a time (1/2 tablespoon or so) until you get it to the right consistency.


Use your hand and divide your dough into 4 equal sections. Each of these sections will be rolled into a long snake that is approximately 1 inch in diameter. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces and set aside until all the dough has been rolled and cut. Try to keep the pieces all around the same size so they cook evenly.


Heat a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil gets hot, add a batch of the gnocchi to the pan. You want to be sure that they are not close enough to touch each other. It took two batches for me to cook all of my gnocchi. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet after removing them from the pan to keep them warm.

Once you have finished cooking all the gnocchi, discard all the oil and butter and wipe the inside of the pan clean. Add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. When it is hot add the sage leaves and cook until the sage is fragrant but not burned. It should only take a few minutes.


You can throw the sage out if you want...some people eat it...or you could use it as a garnish. It's up to you! Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and whisk to incorporate. ****I must warn you that when I added the balsamic vinegar to my pan it started spitting VERY hot oil at me everywhere. I'm not sure what was going on, but stand back just in case. You may even want to remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down for a second before putting it in there. I would hate for you to get burned with hot oil. I do not have a picture of the vinegar for the reason stated above! LOL I was jumping to avoid the hot oil spitting at me from the pan! *yikes*

Pour the mixture over the gnocchi and serve!

Source: Steamy Kitchen