One of my favorite Italian dishes is the humble gnocchi, in no small part because, unlike spaghetti or vermicelli, it involves no extraordinary dexterity in making or eating (though toughness is a risk).
Gnocchi starts with the humble potato, boiled or baked, and then forced through a potato ricer. It finishes with egg, salt and just enough flour to make a workable dough.
The dough is rolled into long logs on a lightly floured surface, which requires a delicate balance.
A modest coating of flour will prevent the dough from sticking, but too much will make the dough shift and slide.
The logs are cut into small pieces that are shaped by being pressed against the front of a grater and rolled against the thumb. That does take nimble fingers, so lightly pressing the top of each gnocchi with a fork will do. The little grooves will trap the sauce, coating the gnocchi with a savory glaze.
Drop the gnocchi into lightly salted boiling water and within minutes they will float to the surface, a fail-proof sign they are done. Then drain and dress the gnocchi simply with butter and freshly grated Parmesan, creamy Gorgonzola or a light tomato sauce.
In our contemporary world, with our penchant for flashy flavors, the once modest potato gnocchi has been laced with more exotic ingredients such as butternut squash, as in the recipe here.
It’s a distinctive departure from tradition and, thankfully, can be eaten with grace by all.
BUTTERNUT GNOCCHI WITH SAGE AND SMOKED CHEESE
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “Celebrating Italy,” by Carol Field.
1 pound butternut squash
1 1/2 cups flour plus about 2 tablespoons for rolling
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 egg yolks
5 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
4 sage leaves, slivered
1/3 cup shaved smoked ricotta or mozzarella
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce squash in several places with paring knife. Put squash on paper towel; place in microwave. Microwave at 100 percent power 2 minutes. Turn squash over; continue cooking at 100 percent power 1 minute. Remove from oven. On cutting board, cut squash in half crosswise, then cut halves in half again lengthwise. Cut squash into about 2-inch chunks; place in large baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil; bake 25-35 minutes, or until tender when pierced. Cool.
2. Remove skin and seeds from squash; press through ricer or grate in food processor using grating disk. (Do not puree.) Measure 2 cups.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, Parmesan, salt, nutmeg, pepper and lemon zest in large bowl. Make well in center of dry ingredients; put squash in center along with egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of the cooled, melted butter. Work dough with your hands until all ingredients are moistened and dough holds together. Divide dough in half; roll both halves on lightly floured surface into cylinders about 1-inch in diameter. Cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
4. Heat large pot of water to boil. Drop 8-10 gnocchi at time into boiling water. Stir well so gnocchi don’t stick to bottom. Cook until gnocchi floats to surface and stays there, about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to plate; continue cooking remaining gnocchi.
5. When all are cooked, pour off any water that has gathered around gnocchi. Transfer to 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over gnocchi; bake 20-25 minutes.
6. Sprinkle top with parsley and slivered sage leaves; lay shaved cheese on top. Place in oven 1 minute to soften cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 295 Fat ………… 15 g Saturated fat .. 9 g
% calories from fat .. 46 Cholesterol .. 140 mg Sodium …… 495 mg
Carbohydrates …… 32 g Protein ……… 8 g Fiber …….. 2.6 g
