Soft and delicate, pumpkin gnocchi are a popular first course. They can be prepared with few ingredients, including a simple butter and sage sauce, or even a creamier sauce based on pumpkin purée.

Good pumpkin gnocchi are soft but compact. So, it is important to bake the pumpkin in the oven, creating drier pulp which makes the dough easier to work it.

Ingredients

• 500 g of cooked pumpkin pulp (from a 1 kg pumpkin)
• 200 g flour
• 1 egg
• Salt to taste

For the sauce

• 300 g cooked pumpkin pulp
• 500 ml cooking cream
• 50 g Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• 4-5 sage leaves

Preparation

Wash the pumpkin well then cut it in half and remove seeds and filaments. Bake in a convection oven for about 30 minutes at 200°C (350°F).

Scoop the pumpkin pulp from the peel and mash it with a fork or a potato masher. Collect the pumpkin purée on a work surface. Add the egg, a pinch of salt and mix with a fork. Then add the flour.

Work the dough with your hands until it is combined, without overmixing. Flour lightly, cover with a clean cloth and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut small amounts of dough to form ropes and cut into 2 cm pieces to form your gnocchi. Repeat until all the dough is finished. Arrange the gnocchi on a sheet of floured parchment paper.

Cook the gnocchi by dropping them into boiling water and collecting them with a skimmer as they rise to the surface. Transfer to a bowl, cover with sauce (see below) and mix well. Serve the pumpkin gnocchi immediately. Season with sage and Parmesan to taste.

For the sauce

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 5-10 minutes until softened and translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and add the pumpkin purée. Cook for about 10 minutes, mixing well, gradually adding the cooking cream. Let simmer until the mixture is thick enough to just cover the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.