SQUASH GNOCCHI

SQUASH GNOCCHI

Ingredients for the dough:

600g ROUND GREEN SQUASH PULP (=21,16oz)

200g PLAIN FLOUR (=7,05oz=1 ⅔ cup)

45g DARUM WHEAT SEMOLINA (=1,59oz=4 ⅓ tbsp)

25g PDO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO 24 months (0,88oz=¼ cup)

1 EGG YOLK

1 pinch TABLE SALT

NUTMEG to taste

(COARSE SALT to taste)

Ingredients for the sauce:

180g PDO GORGONZOLA (=6,35oz=1 ⅓ cup)

20g FRESH WHOLE MILK (=0,71oz=1 ⅓ tbsp)

PDO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO 24 months to taste

Method:

Take away the squash peduncle, skin and seeds. Slice the pulp (the thickness should be between 1 and 1,5 cm) and lay it on a baking tray previously covered with baking paper.

Bake in preheated fan-assisted oven at 180°C (=356°F) for about 30 minutes, then let cool down a bit (about 10 minutes).

Mash with a potato masher: press gently without letting the squash out to check if some water falls down. If yes, dry the liquid before mashing the roasted squash. It is common to find some leftover peel in the masher as the squash develops a membrane while baking.

Mix all the dough ingredients (mashed squash, flour, freshly grated PDO Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, egg yolk, nutmeg and salt) in a bowl. If the dough sticks too much, add 25g (=0,88oz=2 ⅓tbsp) darum wheat semolina. If it is just a little bit wet, avoid adding it. Don’t add any more flour: if it stays too humid, it means the squash is too wet and it will compromise the good result of the recipe. In this latter case, I suggest you not to proceed with the recipe development.

Flour a pastry board with semolina (you will use about 20g=0,71oz=1 ¾ tbsp).

Cut a piece of dough and roll it with the hands to get to a “rope” shape. Cut into small pieces. You can keep this cylindrical shape or you can stripe them with a fork or with a “rigagnocchi”. In both cases you just have to press down one small piece at a time.

Make sure to flour the board any time you feel the dough sticks to the surface. Keep the small gnocchi separated and keep flouring them.

You can cook them or you can freeze them (all or some) laying them separated on paper trays. Once partially frozen, you can store them all together in a frost bag.

To cook gnocchi, put on the stove a pot with water and let it boil. Once it boils, add a pinch of coarse salt. Once it boils again, throw the gnocchi in (either fresh or frozen ones, the process is the same one) and stir gently with a perforated spoon. As soon as they start to float on the surface (about 1 or 2 minutes), strain them with the perforated spoon.

In the meantime, melt PDO Gorgonzola cheese in a pan with little milk. Throw the squash gnocchi in and toss, then serve sprinkling some freshly grated PDO Parmigiano Reggiano on top.