This recipe is part of a series of healthy Italian-inspired dishes that Jennifer and I created together.
Jennifer Cauli is a friend and a talented food & travel photographer who also comes from Italy. Together we joined forces to create a series of recipes (and pictures) that would use the typical Italian ingredients, but also have a contemporary and healthy twist.
We are very happy of our project and we hope to continue offering you great recipe ideas.
Jennifer and I decided to prepare this primo piatto since gnocchi are a traditional Italian dish that we both remember making with our grandparents.
We used zucca (pumpkin) instead of just potatoes as pumpkin is a great source of antioxidants and beta-carotene, precursor of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for cellular growth and for maintaining a healthy and responsive immune system. Research has also linked this vitamin to lung function improvement in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is an excellent reason why we should start eating more vitamin A -rich food during these times.
The sauce we created for our pumpkin gnocchi has several health-boosting ingredients! In extra virgin olive oil, we infused garlic, oregano, rosemary and sage which can all have antimicrobial properties. Then we used a combination of seeds as a healthier substitute for Parmesan cheese, since pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are rich in zinc which plays a key role in immune function, and because dairy products could be quite inflammatory on the body.
This is the link to Jennifer’s website http://www.jennifercauli.com/
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 2 serves
INGREDIENTS:
GNOCCHI
300g pumpkin
200g old potatoes
40g corn starch
100g flour
1 medium egg
a few twists of ground black pepper
5g salt
AROMATIC OLIVE OIL
60ml extra virgin olive oil
10 sage leaves
3 crushed garlic cloves
a few rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
TO SPRINKLE
2 tbs ground sunflower and pumpkin seeds
10g grated parmesan
To cook the gnocchi
2.5l water
2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce, start by placing all the ingredients in a bowl with the olive oil.
For the gnocchi. Preheat the oven to 220 ºC.
Cook the potatoes in the oven wrapped in tinfoil for about 50 minutes or until soft.
Cut the pumpkin into cubes, remove the seeds, filament and skin.
Place on a tray with baking paper. Sprinkle some salt on them and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.
In a large bowl peel the potatoes and mash them so they completely smooth. Then mash the pumpkin. It is essential to mix the ingredients together while they are still warm to obtain a compact dough.
Put in the flour and the corn starch and mix lightly together using your hands.
In a separate bowl whisk one egg. Then make a hole in the middle of the gnocchi dough previously made and place half of the whisked egg, mix lightly until fully incorporated. The dough should be firm and compact and not too moist but not too dry and hard. If it is dry add more egg, if it is too wet add more flour. For best results try not to touch the dough too much.
Put it into a container, cover with cling film and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Dust a flat surface with flour. Take a third of the dough and roll it into cylinder of about 1 inch thick. Then cut it into small pieces of about 1 inch long.
Place the gnocchi on a tray dusted with flour and covered with a cloth to rest for 10 minutes.
Boil about 2.5 liters of water in a large and deep pot. Add in the salt. Bring to a simmer and cook the gnocchi in batches. They are ready when they start to float.
Divide into two portions. Drizzle the herbal olive oil on top of them and finally sprinkle the ground seeds and parmesan on top.
If you wish to use the gnocchi in a separate occasion they can be frozen for up to three months or in the fridge for 3 days.
Cromo Nutrition 