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Pumpkin Gnocchi with Parmesan, Red Cabbage and Speck

17/11/2023

Pumpkin gnocchi is a delicious and comforting dish, perfect for the autumn or winter season. Here’s how to prepare them with an unmistakable Italian touch thanks to Parmesan, red cabbage, and speck.

Ingredients

  • 600 g of cleaned pumpkin
  • 200-250 g of flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 egg
  • Nutmeg to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Grated Parmesan
  • Red cabbage, about 200 g
  • Slices of speck, 100 g
  • Butter to taste
  • Sage to taste
  • Black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by cutting the pumpkin into pieces and bake in the oven at 180 °C until soft, this might take about 30-40 minutes, depending on the pumpkin. Once cooked, blend or mash it until you get a purée.

  2. Pour the pumpkin purée into a bowl, add the egg, a grating of nutmeg, and salt. Start adding the flour gradually while mixing, until you obtain a firm dough that is not too sticky. The necessary amount of flour may vary depending on the moisture of the pumpkin.

  3. Flour your work surface, take a piece of dough at a time and form long “sausages”. Cut them into pieces about 2 cm long to form the gnocchi. If you wish, you can roll each gnocchi on a fork or on a gnocchi board to get the classic ridged shape that holds the sauce better.

  4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water and remove them with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface.

  5. In the meantime, cut the red cabbage into thin strips and sauté in a pan with a drizzle of oil until it’s wilted but still crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

  6. In another pan, melt some butter and add the sage leaves until they become crispy. Add the already cooked gnocchi to this pan to season them in the flavored butter.

  7. Serve the warm pumpkin gnocchi with the sautéed red cabbage, flakes of Parmesan, and speck cut into strips or cubes, which you can slightly brown in the pan before adding to the dish if you prefer a crispier texture.

The contrast between the sweetness of the pumpkin and the bold flavor of the speck, combined with the saltiness of the Parmesan and the vibrant color of the red cabbage, creates a dish that is beautiful to look at and delicious to taste. Enjoy your meal!

Curiosity

Pumpkin gnocchi is an autumnal variation of the classic gnocchi and represent one of the many facets of Italian cuisine, which uses seasonal ingredients to create dishes that vary across the peninsula according to the harvest and local traditions.