Vegan Pumpkin Gnocchi in burnt garlic butter

Experimented yet another time with these, soft pillowy potato dumplings. And hence, pumpkin gnocchi. But this time was extra special since this experiment was gnocchi without any eggs. I have made gnocchi in the pasta as well, but never without eggs. The addition of pumpkin did not just add a beautiful sweet aftertaste but also helped in binding it all together. I used a green pumpkin and hence the colour was not very profound. But in case of an orange one, you would get beautifully tinted gnocchi.

Try the classic gnocchi and a sweet potato version.

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Ingredients for pumpkin gnocchi – serves 4

• Pumpkin – 500g
• Potatoes – 6, medium-large
• Maida/ All purpose flour – 2-1/2 cups + more for dusting
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Butter – 4 tbsp
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Garlic cloves – about 15, chopped
• Dried herbs – 3 tbsp
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped – 1 tbsp
• Vegan cheddar cheese/ cheddar cheese – to top (optional)

Method for Pumpkin Gnocchi

• Peel and chop the pumpkin into approximately 1 inch sized pieces.
• Toss the pumpkin in 1 tbsp olive oil and bake in a pre-heated oven in 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Let the pumpkin cool down a bit. Transfer into a mixer and make a smooth puree. You will not need any water since the water content of pumpkin is pretty high.
• Boil the potatoes and peel the skin off. For gnocchi, it is often recommended that you to bake the potatoes so there is no excess water. You can bake the potatoes for 45 minutes at 180 degrees. I use microwave boiled potatoes, and they work pretty well too.
• Mash the potatoes well so that there are no lumps.
• In a large bowl, combine with mashed potatoes, salt and pumpkin puree and mix well using a spatula.
• Slowly add the flour into the bowl one cup at a time. Using your hands, combine and knead into a soft dough. Set aside for at least 45 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal parts.
• Dust the pastry board with some more flour, and roll one part of the dough into a long tube. Using a sharp knife, cut the gnocchi into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi on the back of a fork (refer technique here) or on a gnocchi board. This is done so that the pasta forms ridges and the herbs and sauce uptake is better.
• Boil water with some salt, add the rolled gnocchi. The cooked gnocchi rises to the surface of the water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the water and set aside.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Tossing the gnocchi with burnt garlic butter

• In a pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Add the butter and garlic, let both cook simultaneously. As the butter would melt, the garlic would start to brown. Cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the herbs and give a good stir.
• Add the cooked gnocchi and toss it all together.
• Top with some cheese and delve into the soft gnocchi!