Pumpkin & Ricotta Gnocchi

This pumpkin and ricotta pasta is a cross between a classic Italian Gnocchi (a potato based dumpling) and Gnudi (a ricotta based dumpling). The addition of ricotta in this gnocchi recipe results in a light and fluffy pasta everyone will enjoy.

• 1 cup of puréed cooked pumpkin
• 1 cup ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 3-4 cups Italian "oo" flour
• A pinch of nutmeg

Equipment:

• mixing bowl
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• baking sheet
• dish towels
• knife
• fork or gnocchi board

Mix the pumpkin puree, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs and salt together in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix well with your hands. It will be very moist and difficult to work with.

Continue adding flour a ½ cup at a time until the desired texture is reached. The dough should be soft and sticky but malleable enough to form into a log.

Form a log and cover with a damp dish towel to prevent the dough from drying out as your shape your gnocchi.

As with any dough, a number of factors can impact its formation. The volume of your eggs, the humidity in the air and how moist the pumpkin is will all play a factor in how much flour you use. The key is to only add enough flour to make the dough manageable to form. The more flour you add the denser your gnocchi will become when cooked. I ended up using just under 4 cups (approximately 3 3/4 a cup) of flour.

Spread some flour onto a clean work surface. Have more flour ready at the side. You will need to coat your formed pasta with flour to prevent them from sticking together as it is a very soft dough.

Cut your dough into 4 pieces. Begin to roll out one piece covering the remaining portions while you work.

Roll out the portion of dough into a log – working the dough outwards until you have formed a rope approximately ½ inch thick.

Dip a knife into flour and cut morsels of dough to form individual gnocchi. About 1 inch in length – I used approximately 2 finger widths for each one.

Using your index and middle fingers roll each gnocchi down a gnocchi board or the tines of a fork. While this is not necessary, this thins out the gnocchi so they are not as dense when cooked. If you find it too difficult to roll the gnocchi down a fork, you can still roll each individual gnocchi out with just your fingers allowing it to thin out a bit.

Lightly coat the gnocchi with flour and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet until time to cook. I froze mine in a single layer to cook at a later time.

To cook, boil in a large pot of water until the gnocchi float. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer and gently toss with a sauce of your choosing.

Because I didn't use my gnocchi right away I don't have a picture of what they look like cooked. However when I do end up using them I will come and update with a picture!

I hope you enjoy this take on a traditional gnudi/gnocchi!