375g Medium Pumpkin or Squash

60g Flour

1 Egg Yolk

3 Sprigs of Rosemary

2tbsp Oil

For the Blue Cheese Sauce:

50g Butter

2 Shallots or 1 Medium Sized Onion

1 Clove Garlic

100ml Dry White Wine

150g Creamy Blue Cheese

200ml Single Cream

These aren’t quite as firm as potato gnocchi, but soft, sweet and flavoursome, they make an unusual accompaniment, or can be served as a starter (with blue cheese sauce) for two.

For the gnocchi: Makes around 20 tiny dumplings.

  1. Cook the pumpkin; you can steam it, but I tend to cube and bake for 30 minutes or so with oil and herbs (in this case rosemary) as this gives it a sweet, roasted flavour.
  2. Once cooked, mash the pumpkin down (the roasted rosemary should crumble into the mixture too), add the egg and flour and combine until you have something resembling dough. It won’t be as firm or easy to handle as potato gnocchi dough, but by using two teaspoons you can make an attempt at a gnocchi shape (note the word attempt).
  3. Boil a pan of water and then carefully drop the little dumplings into the boiling water. They will sink ominously to the bottom of the pan, but after a few minutes will bob back up again. When they’ve been cooking for about 4 or 5 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and keep them somewhere warm (or cool and then heat them up again) until you’re ready to serve. 

For the blue cheese sauce:

  1. Gently sauté the chopped shallots and garlic until soft, then add the wine and let it bubble until it reduces by about half.
  2. Add the cream and simmer gently for around 5 mins or so, then crumble in the cheese, stir until everything’s combined into a creamy sauce and then pour over the pumpkin gnocchi.
  3. Garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary and serve. I like this as a light lunch or starter with a salad (try sorrel – or rocket, lettuce, flat parsley, walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes).

 

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

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