Pumpkin Gnocchi and Creamy Beurre Noisette Sauce

Serves 4

Pillow soft pumpkin gnocchi; this is the epitome of fall wrapped in a creamy nutty brown butter sauce. This gnocchi recipe was derived trying to use up leftover pumpkin puree..maybe involving one (or two) many glasses of wine. It combines, pumpkin puree, ricotta and parmesan cheese to make soft and fluffy gnocchi. The (lick your plate clean) sauce starts off as a beurre noisette, thickened with cream and topped with bacon and grated parm, need I say more?! 

 This recipe is IDEAL for hosting friends or family as it is incredibly easy to pull together and will not break the bank. What makes this recipe so easy, other than having dinner dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes, is that there is no potatoes involved. Classically gnocchis have boiled potatoes that have been passed through a ricer to create these dense pastas. However, when I was making these gnocchis I didn’t have any potatoes, and these pillows of goodness don’t seem to need it! Pair this perfect fall pasta with a Chardonnay wine from the Fall Wine Roundup, trust me you won’t be disappointed. (LINK). 

Pro Tips

  • Gnocchis have the groves or the textured pattern on them to hold the sauce better. This allows for each bite to be covered evenly in delicious sauce. 
  • This is a super rich dish, and you don’t need a huge amount of gnocchi on the plate to satisfy your guests. Paire the gnocchi with a big leafy green salad. 

You’ll Need

  • Medium Bowl
  • Medium Pot
  • Medium Saucepan
  • Cheese Grater 
  • Whisk

Ingredients

Gnocchi

  • 1 ⅓  cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 4 cups flour plus extra for dusting
  • ⅔ cups parm plus extra for garnish
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1 tsp salt 

Sauce 

  • Cook 4 slices of bacon (keep 4 tsp of bacon fat, discard the rest) 
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • ½  cup of butter
  • 2 tbl of chopped sage
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 tbl cooking cream (35%)

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin puree, ricotta, flour, parm and eggs. Mix until the dough comes off from the edges of the bowl.

2. On a floured surface, place dough and shape into a ball and section dough into four pieces.

3. Roll out section of dough into a long log about 2 cm thick, then with a knife, cut into pillow like squares. Do this for all four sections. 

4. Using the back of the fork tines (teeth) roll the squares along the tines to create a groovy texture on the gnocchi . The groves allow for the gnocchi to hold the sauce better. 

5. In a medium pot, heavily salt the water (salty like the sea!!) and bring to a boil. Add the gnocchi in batches and boil for 1:30-2 minutes. The gnocchis will float to the top of the water, this indicates that they are cooked.  Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and set aside while you make the sauce. 

6. Meanwhile, in a medium pan cook bacon. Remove the bacon once crispy and coarsely chop. Keep 4 tsp of bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest. 

7. To the bacon fat, add butter to create a brown butter. Heat butter on medium low heat until it’s golden brown and smells nutty (beurre noisette). 

8. Turn heat to lowest setting and and add minced garlic, chopped sage and lemon juice. Let the garlic cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add cream and whisk until thick and creamy. 

9. Add the gnocchis to the saucepan and coat in the sauce. Transfer to plate and top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped bacon. 


Summer Pesto Pasta

 Serves 4

 

Cooking in the summer is hard; there are happy hours (seemingly every day), summer leagues and wanting to actually cook the food you buy, while saving money. I get it, which is why this summer pesto pasta is so easy and fast to throw together. To make this meal more rounded, you can swap the spaghetti for whole wheat pasta and add a protein (grilled chicken, fish or steak). The brightness of the pesto and the tangy and sweet cherry tomatoes add a variety of flavours that will make this pesto your go-to favourite!

 

Pro Tips

  • If you have vegetarian friends omit the parmesan for a cheddar cheese and for vegans, swap out the cheese for a vegan friendly cheese (like nutritional yeast!) or omit it entirely.
  • The broiler is my best friend and worst enemy. Many of my ingredients have been burnt because of my forgetfulness, which may or may not be due to a glass of wine…. Therefore, set a timer! I still do it, so you should too. There is nothing worse than having to throw out burnt food. 
  • Plating Tip: With tongs, grab a portion of spaghetti. As you’re placing the noodles on the plate twist your wrist so the spaghetti turns and holds together without falling apart. 

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of fresh basil (set aside a few nice leaves for garish)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 tbl lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup of olive oil 
  • ½ cup of slivered almonds (reserve ¼ for garnish)
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish)
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (10 oz or 250g)
  • 1 package of your favourite spaghetti
  • Salt

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to broil. 
  2. Prep your Mise! Wash and pat basil and tomatoes dry, grate parmesan cheese, toast almonds and set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil (salty like the sea). 
  3. Pesto time! Finely chop basil, mince garlic and coarsely chop toasted almonds; place in a medium size bowl. Add parmesan, olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix pesto well and set aside. 
  4. Cook your pasta as per the package instructions. Save 1 cup of pasta water before draining the spaghetti. Place spaghetti back in pot with the reserved cup of pasta water.
  5. While noodles are cooking, place the tomatoes on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Cook tomatoes until you begin to see charred spots, 5 minutes, depending on how strong your broiler is, keep an eye on them!
  6. Add  ½ the pesto sauce to your pasta pot and mix well. You may want to add more pesto sauce, however do so with caution, this sauce is potent! 
  7. Top your pasta with a hit of parmesan, a sprinkle of toasted almonds, charred tomatoes and finally top with a basil leaf