Pumpkin Sage Gnocchi

Next time you are at an antique store or thrift shop and you find an old-fashioned potato ricer, I highly recommend you buy it. If you can find one new at a store, chances are it won't work. I know all too well. I have purchased a few new ones, but they just didn't quite get the job done. I broke one; It wasn't until I bought the old red one I used in story two that I found a potato ricer that works.

The "secret" ingredient in my gnocchi is whipped cream cheese. Years ago, I was making gnocchi and did not have ricotta cheese on hand, so I used whipped cream cheese instead. It was the best batch I had ever made.

Hope you enjoy making Pumpkin Sage Gnocchi as much as I do.

Ingredients:

• 1 Russet Potato
• 1 Sugar Pie Pumpkin
• 2 Cups Type 00 flour
• Salt
• 2 Eggs
• Whipped Cream Cheese
• Sage

Instructions:

1. Wash the potato and pumpkin. Pierce the potato a few times with a fork. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Place them on a sheet pan and bake at 350º for 30 to 45 minutes until cooked well.
2. Allow the potato and pumpkin to cool completely. I like to bake the day before. Add a small amount of potato at a time using a potato ricer and process the entire potato. Then, do the same with the baked sugar pie pumpkin.
3. Add two cups of sifted flour, one egg, a tablespoon of salt, and three tablespoons of whipped cream cheese. Wet your hands and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. The main objective is not to overmix your dough.
4. Add finely chopped sage and one egg yolk. Again, wet your hands and mix the sage and egg yolk into the dough until well combined.
5. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Cover with a wet tea towel and let it rest for five to ten minutes so the flour can absorb the wet ingredients.
6. Cut the dough in fours using a floured dough knife and store the parts you are not working with under the wet tea towel.
7. Roll the dough into a long "snake" shape and cut it into two-inch pieces.
8. Using a well-floured gnocchi board, run the pieces along with your thumb. This technique can be intimidating, but the less you try to make them perfect, the more they come together. Place each gnocchi on a well-floured sheet pan.
9. Boil the gnocchi in a large pot of water, like pasta. Salt the water to taste.
10. Boil the gnocchi until they float.
11. Serve with fresh parmesan cheese and cracked pepper or the sauce of your liking.

I saved half of this batch in a Tupperware with some floured paper towels in the refrigerator. The next day, I took them to my mom's and boiled them there. I made a stir fry with gnocchi, broccolini, peppers, and garlic, which I will make in a separate recipe post for your reference.