Pumpkin Gnocchi with Gorgonzola cheese sauce
The perfect winter warmer comfort food to indulge.
For 4 pp // Prep time 90 minutes
Ingredients:
500 g of pumpkin/butternut squash puree (about 2 kg raw)
2 eggs
200 g of all-purpose flour
50 g of grated Grana Padano cheese
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
For the sauce
2 shallots
1 sprig of sage
40g unsalted butter
50g grated cheese
20g walnuts toasted
200 gr gorgonzola cheese
300ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Step 1
Cook the pumpkin slices either in the oven or microwave.
Step 2
Microwave hack: place the pumpkin in a microwave safe dish and cover with film. Cook at maximum power for about 12 minutes in sessions of 3 minutes each as you don’t want the tray and the oven to overheat. When soft, remove the pumpkin from the tray, season with salt, pepper, drizzle over some oil and pulse it into a food processor.
Step 3
You can alternatively cook the pumpkin slices as tradition wants in the oven at 160 with a drizzle of oil, a few leaves of sage and a couple of crushed garlic cloves. Use parchment on your baking tray and cover with foil. This method will take about 20 minutes to get the pumpkin soft.
Step 4
Very important to let the pumpkin puree drain for a few hours to in a fine sieve to get rid of the water excess (I even use kitchen paper to pat the puree and I let it drain overnight in the fridge for maximum flavor)
Step 5
Mix the pumpkin puree with the sifted flour, the eggs and cheese and season to taste. Place the puree into a pastry bag and with the help of a paring knife cut little dough balls while squeezing the mixture out of the bag over a pot of salted boiling water.
Step 6
When the gnocchi float on the surface they are cooked and ready to drain.
Step 7
Get the dressing ready. In a large pan brown the chopped shallots and sage in butter. When ready pour the white wine and add the cream. Bring to boil then reduce the heat and add the cubes cheese to let it melt slowly and gently. Loose the sauce with a ladle of gnocchi cooking water and add the gnocchi. Mix well, plate and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.
Step 8
Season to taste and plate straight away. Top with the crispy sage and a sprinkle of chopped toasted walnuts.
