I just love gnocchi! Using pumpkin to make them is quite non-traditional, but it works perfectly. The combination with gorgonzola is splendid: if you like, you can use a different blue cheese too, such as roquefort.
For 2 portions
1 hokkaido pumpkin (around 500 g)
1 egg
100 g flour (semolina or farina)
50 g butter
20 g grated parmesan
1 bird’s eye chilli
1 pear
30 g pumpkin seeds
50 g gorgonzola
80 ml whipping cream
20 g parsley
5 ml pumpkin oil
10 ml honey
salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon
piping bag
silicone baking mat or baking paper and cling film
bamboo steamer
First, wash the pumpkin, cut it in half and deseed it. Cut the pumpkin in smaller pieces, drizzle over with honey, add the chilli cut in half, add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Move the mixture to a tray – it is better to use a baking paper or a silicone mat (I highly recommend you to buy one, it’s great).
Bake on 160 degrees until soft, it takes about 25 minutes. Remove the chilli and blend the pumpkin until smooth. Add the egg yolk, melted butter and blend again. Add the parmesan, flour and continue to blend the mixture (lol, yeah, it does get repetitive, but it has results). The consistency is a little sticky, don’t be afraid though, it’s fine! Move the mixture to the piping bag and get ready for the next step, yey!
Mix the pumpkin seeds together with whipped egg white and salt, move the mix to a tray and bake it in the oven. The temperature can be the same, but leave it there for only 10 minutes. Let it cool down and break into various pieces. It’s a cool decoration and and least you get to use the egg white: we all know how it looks in the fridge after a few days, right?
Back to gnocchi, as we need to cook them now: I like to use a bamboo steamer. Cut out rounds out of cling film (preferably the size that fits the steamer). If you make the rounds double, they will retain shape much better. Put the rounds into the steamer and use the piping bag to create lines about 1 cm thick – they will widen a bit.
Put the steamer with the dough in the fridge, so that it sets. It is quite important: the final shape will be much better. 10 minutes will be enough. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes and cool down again – we will sear the gnocchi later.
Cut the pear into shapes of your choice and drizzle with lemon, so that it doesn’t turn brown.
Prepare a little pot and put in the cream, half of the gorgonzola and let it simmer. Season with pepper. Save the remaining cheese for plating.
Cut the gnocchi in diamond shapes and sear them on some olive oil. Season with salt. They are slightly sweet, but gorgonzola is relatively salty, so the balance is good. Add some thinly sliced lemon zest (or use a zester).
Arrange the gnocchi on the plate, add the cream, fresh pear, gorgonzola, baked pumpkin seeds and some parsley leaves. It is a lovely dish of many textures and good for vegetarians, too! Enjoy 🙂
