Suggestions for Pumpkin Gnocchi?

Question

I purchased a package of fresh-frozen Pumpkin Gnocchi and I'm not sure what to serve it with.

Normally I woul bake gnocchi (potato) with tomato sauce and cheese; I don't think Pumpkin Gnocchi would be good like this. I'm not sure what kind of sauce and/or cheese(s) to pair with it. Any suggestions? While you're at it, how about a suggestion on what kind of side dish, such as a vegetable, to put along side it?

Answer 1

Here are my three thoughts; a yummy basil oil, a creamy fontina sauce or a delicious blue cheese, white wine and sage sauce. I included the recipes below. ENJOY!!

Basil Oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch sea salt
6-8 leaves fresh basil, left whole
fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
Place all ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat and cook for 3-4 minutes to develop the flavors. Strain the oil and toss with cooked gnocchi.
Serve fresh mozzarella (slices or balls) and sliced ripe tomatos drizzeled with balsamic, olive oil and basil. Some nice thick chunks of crusty bread to sop it all up.

Fontina sauce
8 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
combining the cheese, cream, butter and Parmesan in a double boiler or a bowl in a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth and hot. Pour sauce over the gnocchi (that has been tossed in olive oil), garnish with the roasted pumpkin seeds and Parmigiano shavings.
I think a caesar salad and hot french bread would be great.

Blue cheese, white wine and sage sauce:
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2/3 cup butter
6 torn sage leaves (bruising them brings out more flavour)
3/4-1 cup white wine, dry
1-1&1/4 cup double cream
2 cups dolcelatte, grinzola, or any mild blue cheese you like
salt & freshly ground pepper

Gently fry the sage, shallots and garlic in the butter on a low heat until soft. Do not let them discolour. Add the wine and reduce the liquid by half. Then add the cream and reduce slightly, cooking the cream so the flavours infuse for at least 5 minutes. Crumble the blue cheese into the sauce, add freshly ground pepper and season well. Pour this sauce over the gnocchi and serve.

This would be really good with a toasted pecan, blue cheese, dried cranberry, mixed greens salad. Maybe with a raspberry balsamic vinegrette. Anf a loaf of crusty bread.

Answer 2

Pumpkin Gnocchi Gratin:

Gnocchi (NYOH-kee) is the Italian word for "dumplings." This pumpkin gnocchi and sauce can be prepared up to 3 hours in advance. Slightly reheat the gratin sauce before assembling the dish.

1 tablespoon stick margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
14 cups water
Cooking spray
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper

Melt margarine in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour; cook 30 seconds. Add wine and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until thick. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat; set aside, and keep warm.

Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, pumpkin puree, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir well to form a smooth dough (dough will be slightly sticky). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape dough into a 12 x 3-inch-long roll. Cut roll lengthwise into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) strips, and cut each strip into 12 (1-inch) pieces. Press each piece of dough with a lightly floured fork. Place gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet; set aside.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Bring water to boil in a large Dutch oven. Add half of gnocchi; cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon; place in a colander. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.

Place gnocchi in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; spoon sauce evenly over gnocchi. Sprinkle with cheese, paprika, and pepper. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve warm.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Answer 3

1 small pumpkin, seeded -- cut in pieces
(1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 to 1 cup potato flour -- sifted
salt and white pepper
nutmeg
1/4 pound unsalted butter
Parmesan cheese -- freshly grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place pumpkin in a shallow baking dish, skin side up, pour in 3 tablespoons water and bake until tender.
Remove from the oven and cool. Peel off the skin and any burnt surfaces, then mash the flesh or put it through a food mill to yield 2 cups of pulp.
(It's not recommended to use a blender or food processor, as the resulting puree tends to be watery and lacks body.)
Put pumpkin in a large bowl, season and begin to work in the flours. Use all the semolina and as much of the potato flour as gives a soft kneadable dough. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Knead lightly until elastic. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Break off little pieces about 3/4 inch long. Roll them quickly between the fingers to obtain a smoother surface, then press them with the thumb against the curved back of a fork or grater to get the traditional gnocchi shape. Dust lightly with potato flour and rest for 10 to 12 minutes.
Melt butter in a saucepan and cook it over a medium heat until golden brown. Keep warm.
Cook the gnocchi, a few at a time, in boiling salted water. When they rise to the surface remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to warm bowls. Pour the butter over the top, sprinkle on some Parmesan and serve immediately. Extra Parmesan can be served separately.


NOTES: Choose a richly-colored pumpkin for good texture and flavor, and work quickly and lightly with the dough to avoid toughness. If you are busy it is possible to boil the pumpkin instead of baking it, but the flavor won't be as intense, nor the texture as firm.

Answer 4

I found this for you. I've made it and liked it very much. Enjoy!

I decided to resume my previous efforts to make pumpkin gnocchi. The
last time I tried to make pumpkin gnocchi, I followed a recipe (one of
M.F.K. Fisher's in _The Art of Eating_) and it failed miserably. I
kept waiting for the cooked gnocchi to bob to the surface of the
water, and it never happened--they just disappeared. I ended up with
a delicious, if salty, pot of pumpkin stock. This time, I went my own
way:

Pumpkin Gnocchi

1 c. canned pumpkin
2 egg whites
flour

Whisk together the pumpkin and the egg whites until blended. Then add
flour and stir until the dough is thick enough to be turned out onto a
large cutting board or clean table top. Douse with more flour, and
work/knead it into the dough. When fully incorporated add more flour and
repeat. Keep adding flour and kneading until the dough can hold its own
shape. It will still be a little bit sticky.

At this stage, I chilled the dough overnight, but I have no idea if doing
so was essential to the success of my gnocchi--I was just starting to
feel really guilty about those essays I hadn't yet graded.

When you're ready to eat the gnocchi, get a pot of boiling water going on
the stove. Generously flour your board or tabletop and hands. Cut the
dough into fourths and roll each fourth into a cylinder, and slice off
gnocchi-sized chunks. I have to be vague about measurements because I
was having a hard time with my cylinder rolling technique and at one
point just hacked the cylinder in two lengthwise to speed things along.
I aimed for 1/2-inch chunks, but some were bigger than that. Drop into
salted boiling water. As they rise to the surface, remove them with a
slotted spoon, shake off excess water, and put them on a serving plate.

Having once watched Martha Stewart shape gnocchi on TV, I tried to
emulate her technique of pressing them gently against the tines of a form
before dropping them in the water for about half of my gnocchi. They
turned out just as ugly as the ones I more carelessly dropped in the
water without shaping. YM(and skill)MV.

The recipe provided me with two substantial dinners for myself, once I
topped the gnocchi with some leftover TVP chili.

Answer 5

How about some melted butter and Parmesan cheese.