Flavorful!
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Grana Padano cheese, divided
- 2 ½ cups flour +/- (depending on moisture in squash puree)
Crispy Fried Sage
- 2 shallots sliced
- ½ cup whole fresh sage leaves without stems
- ¼ Butter Infused Olive Oil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, wrap it loosely in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender when pierced, about 35 minutes. Scoop out and discard the seeds. With a large spoon, scoop the pulp from the skin directly into a fine sieve. Set the sieve over a bowl to catch the liquids, cover and allow the squash to drain for at least an hour, more is preferable.
Puree the cooled, drained squash. Add eggs, salt, nutmeg, half the cheese and some flour, mix well and begin kneading. Work the dough quickly, until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is homogenous. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with flour and cut the dough into four equal parts and set on the side. Work one piece of dough, continue to dust dough, hands, and surface if the dough feels sticky.
Using both hands, roll the piece of dough into a rope ½-inch thick, then slice the ropes at ½-inch intervals. Sprinkle some flour and roll each piece into a ball, flour as needed. Holding a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table, indent each dumpling with your thumb on the tines of the fork to produce a ribbed effect and an indentation where your thumb was. Set on a floured sheet pan and continue with all the dough until finished.
Make the fried sage pan sauce
In a large frying pan, heat the butter infused olive oil on medium heat. Add the shallot and fry until just beginning to turn golden, add the sage leaves and continue cooking until the leaves are crispy and the shallots are caramelized. Set aside while cooking the gnocchi.
To cook gnocchi, bring 6 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt to a vigorous boil. Drop the gnocchi into boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they rise to the surface.
Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer them to a warm platter, adding a little sauce of choice, and boil the remaining pieces in batches until they are all done. Reserve pasta cooking water!
Reheat the Sage and shallots over medium heat. Add the gnocchi and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Ladle in a cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, simmer for another minute, add the reserved cheese and adjust seasoning with additional salt and fresh ground pepper and serve with additional grated cheese and olive oil drizzled over the top, if desired.