Author Notes
This is a perfect autumn treat: golden pumpkin gnocchi with an aromatic walnut and parsley pesto. The fluffy gnocchi are easy to prepare -- just keep in mind that you shouldn't mix in the flour until the dough is absolutely cold. For this recipe, I like to use Hokkaido pumpkin with its skin on or peeled butternut or Musquée de Provence pumpkin. —Meike Peters | eat in my kitchen
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Ingredients
- For the walnut pesto:
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3 1/2 ounces
(100 grams) walnuts, plus a few for the topping
-
3 tablespoons
chopped parsley
-
1/2 cup
(110 millilters) olive oil
-
Salt, to taste
-
Pepper, to taste
- For the pumpkin gnocchi:
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21 ounces
(600 grams) pumpkin, cut into 1-inch (2 1/2-centimeter) cubes
-
7 ounces
(200 gram) potatoes, cut into 1-inch (2 1/2-centimeter) cubes
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2
egg yolks
-
2 tablespoons
butter
-
10 ounces
(280 grams) plain flour
-
3 teaspoons
(leveled) salt
-
Grated nutmeg, to taste
-
Pepper, to taste
Directions
- For the walnut pesto:
-
Pulse all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and season with salt and pepper to a taste. If the pesto is too thick, add more olive oil until it's your desired consistency.
- For the pumpkin gnocchi:
-
Cook the pumpkin and potato cubes in lots of salted water until soft (about 15 minutes).
-
Take them out of the water with a slotted ladle and drain them (push them gently with a spoon and make sure that no additional water comes out).
-
Press the drained potatoes and pumpkin through a potato ricer and remove any water that comes out as you press.
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Mix the warm pumpkin and potato mixture with the egg yolks and the butter and put it in the refrigerator until it's completely cold.
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Bring plenty of salted water to the boil in a large pot.
-
With a spoon, mix the cold potato and pumpkin mixture with the flour, salt, nutmeg, and pepper until combined. If the texture is too sticky, mix in more flour, adding it in small increments.
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Dust your hands with flour and work in batches to roll the dough into sausage shapes (about 1/2-inch or 1-centimeter thick) on a well-floured working surface. Cut off gnocchi in 1-inch (2 1/2-centimeter) lengths and put them on a well-floured baking sheet.
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Turn the heat under the pot to medium so that the water is simmering and cook the gnocchi in batches. When the gnocchi start to come up and float on the surface, take them out with a slotted ladle and drain them. Keep the gnocchi in a covered ovenproof dish in the warm oven (210° F/100° C) until the last batch is done.
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Serve the gnocchi sprinkled with the pesto and some crushed walnuts.
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