Squash gnocchi with beet & tomato sauce

Not being one for participating much in the love in of Italian food displayed all over North America, I have to confess that I have never attempted to make gnocchi before. Maybe when I was much younger I gave it a go, but the results must have been so average to have completely been erased from my memory. So, you'd think that for my first try I'd keep it simple and attempt to make the fluffiest, pillow like gnocchi possible. I didn't, not only dangerously messing about with the actual technique, but also introducing an ingredient that I had never heard about being used before.

Squash gnocchi seemed like a good idea. Any vegetable that has similar properties to potato should act the same way and give the same results when similarly used in a recipe. I was pleasantly surprised that my gnocchi worked and the taste, once pan fried, was nutty and warm and very similar to toast. The nuggets were a little doughy once boiled, but the squash flavour shone through and the frying really highlighted the tastes.

I used a white acorn squash for this recipe, more for the fact that it was free with purchase at the local farm shop. I could see why. Hundreds of them lay stacked together in vast piles, obviously such prolific producers to create an over abundance. The taste, once roasted was nutty and a little less sweet than other squash with a bitter edge that made it interesting.

It roasted until very soft and mashed well and here was my first departure from the usual technique. From the recipes I read, it seems that successful fluffy gnocchi lies in ricing the potato while still hot to get an airy consistency and then letting it dry. Squash is heavier than potato, even when fluffed with a fork and I don't own a ricer, so mashing by hand had to do. I squeezed as much moisture as possible out and continued on. 

The other secret to success with this dish is to use as little flour as possible, only the minimum amount required to give you a dough that's workable. Again, even though the squash was squeezed and drained overnight, it was still much wetter than potato alone and therefore took a great deal of flour. But, at the end of the day, it didn't matter, both Neil and I enjoyed what I had made and it gave me confidence to attempt this again, whether with squash or just potato. 

Recipe : Squash gnocchi with tomato and beet sauce

Gnocchi

1 acorn squash, cut into quarters and seeds scooped out and discarded

1 tbsp oil

salt and pepper

2 small potatoes, cooked and mashed (I bunged mine into the microwave as I though it might be drier than boiling and cooked on potato setting until soft)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

salt, pepper and a little fresh nutmeg

1.5 - 2 cups all purpose (plain) flour

Preheat the oven to 375oF and place the squash on a roasting dish. Drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper and roast until very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the squash is cool enough to handle, spoon all the flesh from the skin. Lay the flesh onto a clean tea towel, gather it up into a bundle with the squash inside and squeeze as much water as you can from the squash. Scrape it from the towel into a single layer in a shallow bowl and refrigerate, preferably overnight to really dry out.

Once you are ready to make the gnocchi, gently mash the potato with the squash, add the Parmesan, mix well, season lightly and then crack the egg into a separate bowl. Beat the egg until frothy and then add a seasoning of salt, pepper and a few twists of nutmeg. 

Make a well in the centre of the mash and pour the egg in. Mix everything together to form a sticky dough and then start adding the flour, a little at a time, mixing in well with your hands. Keep adding more flour until the dough becomes drier and less sticky.

To shape the gnocchi cut the ball of dough into thirds and roll each one into a sausage shape. (You will probably need to flour your hands, the surface and the rolling pin). Cut each sausage into about 8 small pieces and make a small ball with each one. Flatten with your fingers and press a fork lightly into each gnocchi. Repeat with all of the dough. 

To cook the gnocchi, first you need to boil them. Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. When the water is boiling rapidly, start dropping the gnocchi in, a few at a time. At first they will sink, but as soon as they rise to the surface they are ready. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Continue with the rest of the gnocchi. 

At first, the gnocchi look a little slimy and unappetizing and if you taste one, it will have a gluey, dense texture, but, don't worry, you're not done yet..

Heat about 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter in a frying pan over medium to high heat and fry the gnocchi, again, a few at a time, for several minutes, turning a few times until they are golden brown and crispy and the aroma coming from them is toasty and nutty. .

You can serve the gnocchi at this point, straight from the pan, maybe with a little brown butter poured over to emphasize their nuttiness or with a sauce, like the one following. The longer the gnocchi sit in the sauce, the less crisp they will be, eventually becoming soft and losing their toasty flavour if left too long.

Recipe : Beet and tomato sauce 

This sauce is the most beautiful shade of crimson.

1 tbsp oil

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced

2 medium sized beets, peeled and diced

1 tin plum tomatoes

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
a handful of spinach leaves

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the shallot, bell pepper and beets. Fry together until the shallot has started to soften and everything has turned scarlet (if you're using red beets, of course). Add the tomatoes, the salt and cover, reducing the heat to low. Cook for around 45 minutes until the beets are very soft, then stir in the chives, spinach and black pepper. Stir through and let cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender or processor until very smooth.

The gnocchi can be served warm, tossed through the sauce with a few chive or basil leaves as garnish, or served with the sauce on the side to retain the crispiness.

We served the gnocchi as a side dish to some simple pork chops, but it would make a substantial lunch dish or even a vegetarian main meal with a salad perhaps.