I had a lovely trip to Tuscany a few weeks ago, where we did a lot of eating (because what else would we do there!). One of the dishes I ordered was a pumpkin gnocchi with pecorino (on the menu it was called gnocchi con sugo di zucca e scaglie di pecorino di fossa). I’m not really sure why I ordered it, because I generally find pumpkin pasta sauces far too sweet for my taste. But I was very, very glad I did. It was absolutely delicious, and not at all what I was expecting.
The pumpkin wasn’t blended into a smooth sauce – it had been grated, then cooked until really soft. The gnocchi had a bit of chew to it, and there was a generous amount of salty pecorino over the top. I genuinely hadn’t eaten anything quite like it, so I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since getting home.
There are a couple of things that make this pumpkin gnocchi work: the first is the vinegar. Pumpkin is naturally quite sweet, and a good dash of white wine vinegar gives it the acidity it needs. The second is the gnocchi. Rather than boiling it, I pan-fry it gently, which keeps its chew.
I like to finish it with a really generous grating of pecorino. I used Pecorino di Fossa, which is particularly lovely, but any good aged pecorino will do. Grate it quite coarsely so you get little salty flecks throughout, rather than it disappearing into the sauce. I think I’ve got pretty close to the one I had in Tuscany, although it will always taste better in the Tuscan sun, won’t it?
SWEET & SOUR PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH PECORINO
I don't usually go for pumpkin pasta. More often than not, I find it far too sweet. But I had this in Tuscany, and it completely changed my mind – sweet, sour, salty, delicious. I think I've done a pretty good job at recreating it.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1/2 white onion very finely chopped
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
- 2 sprigs thyme leaves picked
- 200 g Delica pumpkin peeled & grated
- 75 ml dry white wine
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 450 g fresh potato gnocchi
- 25 g salted butter
- pecorino di fossa (or the best aged pecorino you can get your hands on)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Warm a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, thyme and grated pumpkin and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the pumpkin begins to collapse.
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Turn up the heat slightly, and add the wine. Let it bubble and simmer, until the wine has evaporated, then reduce the heat to low. Stir through 100ml of water and a good pinch of salt, then clamp on the lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the pumpkin is very soft, but still mostly holding its shape (it shouldn't have any crunch when you taste it – it should just melt in the mouth!). Stir through the white wine vinegar and a good few grinds of black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
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When your pumpkin sauce is 5 minutes from ready, pan fry the gnocchi according to its packet instructions. You don’t really want any colour on it, you just want to cook it through, and keep its chew.
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Stir the gnocchi and butter through the pumpkin sauce. It is meant to be quite a dry sauce, but you can stir through a dash of water, if you would prefer it a little looser. Serve between plates, then grate over a very generous helping of pecorino. Finish with a grind of black pepper, and you are good to go.
Looking for something to do with your leftover pumpkin? Try this Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream.
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