Gnocchi
Kabocha Squash Gnocchi & Pistachio Gremolata
The Pasta
Who doesn’t love a gnocchi? They are fun to say, look like pasta nuggets and have the consistency of little clouds. Covered in cheese, cream, butter, red sauce, pesto, or something else, gnocchi are masters at being in open relationships with sauce. Gnocchi are from the Lombardy region and translate to little knuckles, but whoever that term came from, they had to have had the softest hands. Because there’s no doubt that these are the squishiest of all the pastas. And that’s why it’s on almost every menu now, because it’s special and dainty and rich all at the same time.
The Recipe
Let me start by saying, this is one of those recipes where your own cooking intuition is going to be the most important factor in how this comes out. The squash aren’t going to be exactly a certain weight, they might be a little dry or a little wet, so to measure out the flour, egg, and ricotta to strike the perfect balance here, is going to be about experience and knowing what’s right. Which brings me to the next point. Squash gnocchi are going to a little denser and chewier than the pillowy ricotta gnocchs. So it may take you a trial or two to find the tooth you most enjoy.
About the rest of the recipe. It’s a David Ortiz home run. It’s outta the park before the bat has even made contact with the ball. The gremolata brings zest and brightness to a gnocchi that is smooth and rich. The pistachios help chill some of the fats and brings a nice little texture to a creamy dish. It’s a perfect weekend dinner project and it rewards handsomely.
Servings: 4 - Time: 1+ hrs. - Difficulty: 3 - Mama Mia
Ingredients & Mise en Place
The Gnocchi
1 medium-large kabocha squash - quartered and seeds removed
2+ cups all purpose flour
1 egg - beaten
½ cup ricotta
sea salt
nutmeg
The Gremolata
½ cup pistachios
¼ cup fresh italian parsley
1 lemon - zest and 1 tbsp. juice
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper
Directions
The Gnocchi
Preheat your oven to 400°F and make sure the rack you are going to use is in the middle of the oven. Place your kabocha squash on a cookie sheet skin side down and coat with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until a fork or cake tester can easily pierce the flash of the squash. Once thoroughly roasted, remove from the oven and let it become cool to touch.
When cool to touch, remove the squash skins and place the “meat” into a bowl and mash with a fork or masher. Slowly fold in the egg and ricotta along with the sea salt and nutmeg to taste. Finally add in the flour, one quarter to half cup at a time. Continue to add until firm-ish but not to the extent that you feel like it is becoming a pizza dough. They need to be fluffy but not firm - the more flour added the more gluten that will form and the firmer it will get. If it gets too sticky, the dough can be placed it in the fridge for a little while to chill out.
To make the gnocchi, divide the dough into 4 portions and create 1/2-inch ropes. Then cut every inch to create the gnocchis. Next run a fork across the one side or roll along a gnocchi board to give the pasta a few ridges, or just leave them as is. Dust with some all-purpose flour to prevent sticking.
The Gremolata
While the squash cooks, create the gremolata. In a food processor or blender pulse the pistachios, parsley, lemon, and olive oil until it’s a minced texture, but not quite a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The Final Pasta
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Drop in your gnocchi and let them hang for about 2-3 minutes or until they start floating back to the top.
Toss in the gremolata, and then divide into four even portions. Cover with extra gemolata and a little extra sea salt.