Long title and exceptionally chatty post.
I basically like both squash and pumpkin, but always try to err as far on the side of the savory spectrum as possible when cooking with them. American cuisine tends to add sweetness to them in most recipes - maple syrup, cinnamon, etc. - and I think that this does the much maligned Cucurbitaceae family a disservice. Isn't it bad enough that in late October we cut faces in some of them and throw them out without even eating them?
I am a big fan of roasted pumpkin/squash in salads and curries, they make for excellent and easy seasonal dips, meld gorgeously with butter for a pillowy mash to serve with game or pork, and shine in velvety autumn and winter soups. They are also wonderful incorporated into bread doughs and make for fine fillings for vegetable tourtes and pasta (though I will admit that L. remembers my one foray into this arena as one of the most disgusting things I have ever made and I am basing my pumpkin pasta opinion on restaurant versions of pumpkin ravioli with sage and Parmesan).
Since L. and I both like gnocchi, and I have actually made some carrot ones that were delicious in the past, today I made the gnocchi illustrated above. I looked for recipes online and had a really hard time finding one that did not contain potato. I really wanted the squash flavor, which is already quite subtle, to shine, and I thought potato might take away from that. The inspiration recipe linked below calls for 5 oz of flour, about 1/2 cup. I used closer to 1 cup because my squash was rather wet and still ended up with gnocchi that I had to roll heavily in flour to keep them from sticking (see below). That all washes off during cooking so don't worry if you have to do the same; concentrate on drying your squash flesh out as much as possible before making the dough and getting a cohesive dough using as little flour as you can.
I added broccoli rabe to the dish because a) I had some, b) I thought its green would make a nice backdrop for the orange gnocchi and c} I thought its bitterness would counteract the sweetness of the squash. The tarragon and caramelized onion jam were added for more or less the same reason. L., who does not like onions, used shaved Parmesan to attain the same effect, and I had a "what the hey" moment and added some too. As for the last minute addition of sour cream? I thought it would taste great with both the onion jam and the gnocchi, and sometimes the body just craves a little extra fat related flavor... You can make any incarnation of this dish you choose, including plain pan-fried gnocchi wiithout any of the trimmings (barring a little butter in the pan) - also delicious.
2 cups of squash or pumpkin flesh (I used a 1 1/2 lb Carnivale squash)
As much as 1 cup of flour + 1/3 cup more for rolling the gnocchi
1 egg
1 large yellow or white onion
2 bunches broccoli rabe, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
2 + 1 + 1 Tbsps butter
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
Salt
Microwave the squash for 4 minutes on each side. Allow to cool before cutting in half.
Scrape out the seeds, discard or dry in the oven for snacking purposes. Remove the flesh from the skin and pass through a ricer onto a parchment paper lined baking tray. Place in your oven at its lowest setting for about 15 minutes, stirring up with a fork from time to time, to dry out the flesh further. Set aside to cool.
Peel and halve the onion and cut into very thin half moons. Place all of the onion and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet, along with a generous sprinkling of salt. Set the heat to its lowest setting and cook the onion pieces, stirring from time to time, until the onion is tender, caramelized and sticky; about 10 to 15 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and set aside, reserve the skillet for use with the broccoli rabe and gnocchi - do not wash.
Chop the tarragon and prepthe broccoli rabe; set both aside. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil before proceeding with the dough.
This is a really sticky dough so, though I did make it on a board in the traditional manner, I highly suggest you make this in a bowl so that your kitchen doesn't make you weep at the end of this endeavor. Mix the squash flesh, a liberal amount of salt and the egg together with a fork. Add 1/2 cup of flour and form into a dough with your hand. Knead to combine and add more of the 1 cup of flour if you need to. You want a very soft, malleable dough but one that is no longer tacky.
Cut the ball of dough in half. Flour a board and use your hands to roll one half into a long log, slightly thicker than your thumb, then cut the log into even bite-sized pieces. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Use a fork to press indentations into each gnocchi (this step can be skipped quite frankly but the indentations help with "the crispy bits" when you pan fry them at the end). As you make each gnocchi, drop it in a shallow dish into which you have measure out the remaining 1/3 cup of flour and roll it the flour to keep it from sticking (see below).
By now the water should be heating up. Add all of the broccoli rabe and let it cook until the stalks are tender and the vegetable is an even more vibrant green, around 4 minutes. Remove from the boiling water with tongs, straight into the skillet that you used to make the onion jam. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter, a little salt and stir in the pan until each leaf and stem is glossy.
By this time, the water in the pan should have come back to a rolling boil. Tip in your gnocchi, flour and all, and cook until the gnocchi all rise to the surface, plus an additional 30 seconds; so about 3 minutes to 3 and a half minutes total.
While the gnocchi are cooking, divide the broccoli rabe among 4 plates. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet over low heat and, as soon as the gnocchi have cooked, drain them and add them to the skillet.
Raise the heat to medium and cook the gnocchi for about 90 additional seconds, shaking the pan often so that they don't stick, until the gnocchi have a golden sear around the edges. As soon as they do, stir in the sour cream, if using.
Divide the gnocchi among the 4 plates of broccoli rabe and top with a quarter of the onion jam, some of the chopped tarragon and some of the shaved Parmesan.
Inspiration recipe, here.
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