Sorry for being MIA lately. I was in Jamaica for a week and had a lot of catching up to do with work but I’m back! I made this before I left so I can’t remember where I found the recipe but both Corey and I loved it! It’s comfort food without all of the guilt! A few more months to enjoy squash and then it’s summer time!!
Makes: Enough for four people
Ingredients:
1 medium or 2/3 1 large butternut squash
2 cups flour
1 egg scrambled in a bowl
Olive oil (enough to drizzle onto squash when baking)
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown Butter Sauce (recipe below)
Preparation:
Baking the Squash
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel squash. Cut in half and then seed. Slice into ¼-inch pieces.
3. Drizzle a large pan or baking dish with olive oil and then set the squash on top. Drizzle on more olive oil and then sprinkle on salt and pepper.
4. Set baking dish in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until squash in cooked through (fork tender).
Making the Gnocchi Dough
1. Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 heaping tablespoon with salt and add. Simmer until ready for use.
2. Cool squash and then mash in a large bowl either using a potato masher or a fork.
3. Add the egg and flour to bowl with mashed squash. Sprinkle in a dash of salt and add a few grinds of pepper.
4. Mix ingredients with by hand until a dough forms.
5. Sprinkle flour on a solid surface (such as a large cutting board or counter top), take a handful of dough and form into a ball, then rub each sides to make a long “snake-like” form, and set one piece on the flour. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently dab each piece in flour and set aside on a sheet of wax paper. Repeat until all gnocchi are made.
6. Place gnocchi in the pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until plump and floating at the top of the water. Be sure to mix the gnocchi in the water after adding as they have a tendency to sink.
7. Place cooked gnocchi into your pan of brown butter sauce (recipe below) and cook on medium high for one minute. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. (NOTE: I did this in batches and it worked just fine)
Brown Butter Sauce
Makes: Enough for one batch gnocchi
Ingredients:
- ½ stick butter
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh herbs (Sage is wonderful, but you can also use Italian parsley, oregano, or basil)
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. If using walnuts, add and brown now. Add in the herbs along with a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Turn off the heat until ready for use. When gnocchi is ready, heat pan to medium again and then sauté dumplings in the butter sauce for one minute.
