Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter Balsamic Sauce

Our first attempt at pasta...result...great success! Our venture into gnocchi makin' was a joint effort starring a Mr. Andrew Kennedy (gnocchi kneader and roller), Ms. Larkin Kimmerer (gnocchi forker), and the off the wall peeps (gnocchi kneaders, forkers, and rollers)... Roasted butternut squash, some fine 00 flour, and some aged balsamic... and some "friendly's"...'nough said! :)

For the Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 cups 00 flour

2 cups roasted butternut squash, pureed (roast cubed-up butternut squash with olive oil and salt and pepper for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees).

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 Tbs. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

1. On a flat surface, mix flour, salt, and nutmeg together and form into a mound.

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the roasted butternut squash puree and 1 cup parmesan cheese.

3. Mix the flour, squash, and cheese together and knead for about 5-10 minutes. Add a bit of flour to the board as you need to keep the dough smooth. Continue kneading until smooth.

4. Shape the mixture into a ball and cut into four pieces.

5. Roll each quarter of dough into a ropes about 1 inch thick (might be easier to but into eighths instead of quarters to do this).

6. Cut each rope into about 1-inch pieces.

7. Gently press a fork into the surface of the gnocchi to leave a slight indentation.

8. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the gnocchi float to the top.

9. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain excess water and add directly to the sauce...

For the Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients

1. 5 Tbs. Butter

2. ~1 tsp. salt

3. ~1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Cook butter for ~5 minutes over medium-high heat until foam dissipates and butter begins to brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and salt and cook an additional 2 minutes.

3. Add the gnocchi directly to the pan with the butter sauce and toss together. Toast the gnocchi for a few minutes in the pan and serve warm with freshly grated parmesan!

YUM!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: This is a really fun recipe to make and pretty simple in terms of homemade pastas. It takes time, but I would definitely recommend gettin' some friends together to help...shout out to Larkin (forker), Andrew (roller, kneader, forker), Renee (sue chef), and Stephanie (roller)...great success!

Taste?
Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: When I studied abroad in Italy I had some of the finest food of my life while living with an absolutely amazing Italian family. I was lucky enough to gain an undying appreciation for the Italian cuisine, and I am being completely honest when I say that this butternut squash gnocchi was Italy status. The texture was just right, as it wasn't doughy or too hard, and the butternut squash flavor and hints of nutmeg were magnificent. The balsamic butter sauce was excellent, as well, adding just enough of flavor yet still allowing the gnocchi to hold its own. 10,000 mmmmm-gasms, 'nough said.


Appearance?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: The precooked gnocchi looks like giant Captain Crunch cereal because of the orange tint from the butternut squash in the dough, but the finished product was nothing short of elegance. The "pillows" of pasta were nicely complimented by the glaze of the balsamic butter sauce; a lovely presentation that would qualify for the finest of authentic Italian restaurants!