KINOCCHI (PUMPKIN GNOCCHI )

This one is the most flavourful of all Gnocchis, even better than the classic Potato Gnocchi.
Another one of those intimidating dishes, a mystery for people, for whom this is not a staple.

Go to a stylish up-market gourmet Italian restaurant and they will serve you 2 to 3 pieces of this mouth-watering dish on a humongously large plate and you wonder if the server had eaten most of it while on his way to your table.
You want to cry, scream and feel sorry.
 Not any more.
Well, now I got that dish on my own table and yours and in a large quantity too.

I always got away at my parties when I made this dish, with my friends thinking the world of me and talking about the hard work I had put in, in getting the meal together.
Well, this one is so easy you'll be wondering why you ever thought it was difficult.
There goes my crown.....

Gnocchi is nothing but pasta made like a tiny dumpling and cooked in rolling hot boiling water till it rises to the top. It can be made ahead and frozen for upto 2 weeks at the most, though I never had the opportunity to keep it for a longer time as once my family gets to know of it's existence in my freezer and with my Basil Pesto always in my refigerator, I am absolutely rail-roaded into serving it for dinner or in the lunch boxes.
I serve it as a starter or as a cocktail snack for a party or as a side dish for a sit-in-dinner.


Pumpkin is such a lovely gourd-like squash, colourful and flavourful. I use it to make breads, rissotto, gnocchi, soup, as a filling in breads or on Bruschetta, as a dip, as a side dish served in classic Indian style and many more.
Roasting it in the oven adds to the flavour. It's skin and seeds too are eaten.
It is high in fiber, contains zinc, protein, and vitamins. It is known to be anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic.
It's seeds are used to make oil and are rich in magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and essential fatty acids that help in maintaining healthy blood vessels, nerves and tissues.
Add a dash of the pumpkin oil to add flavour to pumpkin soup or roast the seeds and eat just 1 gram to get the tryptophan equivalent to that in 1 glass of milk.

I have given this recipe a new name just to shroud it in a little mystery.
KINOCCHI.



kinocchi (as a cocktail snack)

KINOCCHI (AS A COCKTAIL SNACK)

Ingredients:

makes 76 pieces(good for 3 persons if used as a side dish)

.Pumpkin mash....................2 cups, of pumpkin roasted and mashed

.Fresh sprigs of Thyme........6

.Black pepper powder.........1 tsp.
.Olive oil.............................1 Tbsp.

.Egg yolk..............................1*

.Plain flour...........................1 cup

.Parmesan cheese.................1/2 cup

.Nutmeg powder...................1/4th tsp.

.Dried basil leaves...............1/2 tsp.

.Fresh thyme leaves..............2 sprigs, leaves finely chopped

.Dried oregano leaves..........1/2 tsp.

.Salt......................................to taste

.Lime juice...........................1 tsp.

for the cream sauce(bechamel/white sauce):

.Butter....................................2 Tbsp.

.Plain flour.............................1 1/2 Tbsp.

.Salt........................................1/4th tsp. or to taste

.Black pepper powder............1 tsp.

.Sugar......................................1 tsp.

.Cheddar cheese.......................2 Tbsp.

.Milk........................................3/4th to 1 cup, lukewarm

.Pre-prepared basil pesto..........4 Tbsp.

.Olive oil...................................1 tsp.

.Garlic.......................................1 clove, finely chopped

.Red and Yellow capsicums......cut into cubes for garnish

.Few basil leaves.......................for garnish

Method:

for the kinocchi:

.Cut the pumkin into halves and remove seeds.

.Poke the flesh with a fork and sprinkle a little salt, black pepper, olive oil and 4 sprigs of thyme.

.Wrap in Aluminium foil and grill in the oven for 1 hour.

.Remove the foil and grill further till a few charred spots appear and is well cooked, approx. 20
 minutes.

.Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash.*

.In a large bowl put in the grilled and mashed pumpkin, plain flour, the remaining fresh thyme, chopped,

 dried oregano and basil leaves, freshly grated nutmeg, egg yolk, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.

.Mix well till all the ingredients are well blended and bring together to make a soft dough.

.The dough will be very sticky and moist.

.Using a measuring spoon dipped in dry flour scoop out 1/2 Tbsp of the mix and shape into ovals

 looking more like large cashew nuts. Using a fork create a design on the dent by pressing in down.

.Meanwhile boil water in a large pan and  a little salt and oil.

.Add the prepared raw kinocchi and bring to a rolling boil. 

.Cook the kinocchi till they float to the surface, about 5to 6 minutes.

.Remove and cool.

for the white sauce:

.Melt butter in a pan. Add the flour and cook it on low heat till it becomes fragrant and begins to

 change colour, stirring continuously.

.Remove from heat and add lukewarm milk, stirring continuously taking care to remove any lumps*.

.Return to heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes till the sauce thickens

 and coats the back of the spoon.

.Add the cheddar cheese, salt, sugar and black pepper powder. Mix well.

kinnocchi served as a cocktail snack

 

How to proceed:

.Add 4 Tbsp. of the pre-prepared basil pesto to the white sauce and mix well.

.Check for seasoning.

.Heat 1tsp. olive oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and saute for 1/2 a minute.

.Add the prepared kinocchi and toss gently.

.Add the prepared sauce and mix well tossing gently, coating each piece well with the sauce.

.Roast 4 Tbsp. pinenuts and saute red and yellow capsicums for 1 minute and set aside.

.Take a decorative toothpick and put the red and yellow capsicums and a folded basil leaf and

 finally the kinocchi.

.Put on a serving platter.

.Garnish with the roasted pinenuts, and a little freshly ground black pepper and serve hot.

note:
*Egg yolk can be omitted from the recipe.

*One 1.6 kg pumpkin yields about 4 1/2 cups of puree. Use as much required for this recipe and

freeze the remaining into cubes to be used in pumpkin bread or a soup or just make some more

kinocchi.

*At this point Kinocchi or pumpkin gnocchi can be frozen in freezer safe plastic bags.

*If lumps do form, do not fret for a moment. Just sieve the sauce and mash any lumps that may remain in

 the sieve before putting it back on heat.

.This recipe serves 3 people if eaten as a side dish garnished with red and yellow capsicums, asparagus, pinenuts, basil leaves and parmesan cheese shavings.