Pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter, walnuts, and smoked bacon

1 kg Hokkaido pumpkin
20 leaves sage
70 g walnuts
150 g smoked bacon (diced)
300 g potatoes
200 g potato starch
8 tbsp cornmeal
50 g Parmesan cheese (grated)
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp ricotta cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
50 g butter
salt
pepper
ground caraway
ground nutmeg
flour for dusting

Try out this gnocchi recipe with a seasonal favourite, pumpkin! Making the perfect meal after a day of carving fun, why not try serving your gnocchi in your carved pumpkin for a fun Halloween twist.

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Halve Hokkaido pumpkin and remove the seeds. Cut into wedges, then dice the pumpkin and transfer it to a baking sheet. Bake for approx. 30 min., or until the pumpkin is soft, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2.In the meantime, peel potatoes and add them to a pot with water. Cook until soft, then drain, and transfer them to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes until they are smooth.

3. Add diced pumpkin to a liquid measuring cup and puree until smooth using a Bosch hand blender. Add pumpkin puree, potato starch, cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, egg yolk, ricotta cheese, and grated garlic to the mashed potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, ground caraway and ground nutmeg. Stir well until it becomes a slightly sticky batter.

4.Flour a clean working surface, add some dough and roll into a log. Repeat with remaining dough. Cut into bite-sized pieces and roll into small balls. To create the classic gnocchi indentations, roll each gnocchi over the tines of a fork, then transfer onto a floured baking sheet.

5.Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add gnocchi in batches to the boiling water. Once they float, they’re ready, and can be gently removed using a slotted spoon.

6. In the meantime, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry diced smoked bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. Roughly chop walnuts.

7.Heat oil in the frying pan and add butter. Add the gnocchi and fry, tossing from time to time. Add walnuts, sage leaves and fried bacon. Fry until the sage is crispy and the butter browns. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and serve immediately. Enjoy!