Lazy pumpkin gnocchi - Lucy and Food

lazy pumpkin gnocchi, sage brown butter, parmesan close up

Don’t you find yourself needing an ultra quick meal sometimes? Something that is ready in minutes but still flavourful and comforting. Something that doesn’t require tonnes of chopping and slicing and prepping yet hints at complexity. And, preferably, something that only needs few staples. This is how these lazy pumpkin gnocchi with sage brown butter came to be. Obviously, if we had time and needed the effort then fresh pumpkin would be used, but canned pumpkin is great too. Hence all the previous mentions. The “lazy-ness” of these gnocchi is further underlined by skipping the traditional rolling and shaping, which neatly cuts total cook time. But I feel I must stress the difference that fresh sage and freshly grated nutmeg would make to your culinary adventures. Sage is very easy and quick to grow from seeds but if that seems too challenging then I recommend getting a potted plant for your window, they are quite hardy. As for nutmeg, a single seed doesn’t take up much space but can last a long while as it’s used sparingly. Did I mention you could be eating these in 20 minutes?

Lazy pumpkin gnocchi ingredients:

For the sage brown butter:

40g butter
a handful of sage leaves

For the pumpkin gnocchi:

400-425g canned pumpkin
200-250g flour
1 whole egg
1/2tsp salt
grated nutmeg, to taste

Directions:

Start by preparing the sage brown butter. Melt 40g of butter in a small pot over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, finely slice stacked sage leaves.
As the butter continues cooking it will start to darken and smell nutty.
Once brown, take the butter off the heat and add sliced sage leaves to infuse.
To make gnocchi combine 400-425g canned pumpkin, 1 egg, 1/2tsp salt and grated nutmeg in a large bowl.
Stir the pumpkin mixture well before gradually adding flour.
The amount of flour needed will depend on how wet the pumpkin is and strength of flour but you should end up with a dough that almost holds its shape and doesn’t fall off a spoon.
Bring a medium-large pot of salted water to a light simmer. Cook gnocchi in batches. Using a metal spoon and a silicone/rubber spatula quickly drop about 1/2 tablespoon-fulls of dough directly into simmering water.
Once the entire bottom of the pot is covered with lazy pumpkin gnocchi, give them a light stir to prevent sticking.
Keep cooking until the gnocchi float up to the surface.
Using a skimmer/strainer/slotted spoon lift the gnocchi out of water and transfer to a serving bowl while you cook the rest of the dough.
When all the gnocchi are cooked, gently reheat the sage brown butter and carefully pour over the gnocchi.