Just look at those lovely golden dumplings. I cannot stop eating them! This was my first time making gnocchi, or any pasta for that matter, so I was a bit skeptical, but I love these little darlings. They take some time to make, but it's so so worth it.
I saw this recipe on my friend's blog, Family Bean. She said her entire family of five liked it, and with my increasingly picky little eaters, I figured it was definitely worth a shot. And sure enough, my entire family liked it! No, loved it. Couldn't get enough. I sat down with a bowl of these babies next to 2yr old J, who was about to enjoy a Halloween candy treat. He saw what I had, and asked for one. I obliged, and when he finished chewing, he asked for another. That boy ate all my gnocchi and didn't touch his candy until the gnocchi were all gone. That's impressive.
This recipe was originally from Sunset magazine. Here's the link to that recipe, which includes nutritional stats. But Jillaire's post on Family Bean has awesome step-by-step photos that really helped me prepare for this pasta-making journey.
I saw this recipe on my friend's blog, Family Bean. She said her entire family of five liked it, and with my increasingly picky little eaters, I figured it was definitely worth a shot. And sure enough, my entire family liked it! No, loved it. Couldn't get enough. I sat down with a bowl of these babies next to 2yr old J, who was about to enjoy a Halloween candy treat. He saw what I had, and asked for one. I obliged, and when he finished chewing, he asked for another. That boy ate all my gnocchi and didn't touch his candy until the gnocchi were all gone. That's impressive.
Oh, and for those of you who may have had the new gnocchi dish at Olive Garden--I tried it last night and found them a bit mushy. The following gnocchi recipe makes soft, tender, al dente dumplings, which I absolutely prefer.
This recipe was originally from Sunset magazine. Here's the link to that recipe, which includes nutritional stats. But Jillaire's post on Family Bean has awesome step-by-step photos that really helped me prepare for this pasta-making journey.
Notes: Like Jillaire, I roasted my squash in the oven, because that's how I always do it. I scooped my squash out into a large measuring cup after it was roasted. The recipe calls for two cups of squash, and my squash produced exactly four cups, so I doubled the rest of the recipe. We had one batch for dinner and the other batch went into the freezer (in a freezer bag). They freeze pretty well. The texture is a little chewier after freezing and reheating, but not so much that it bothered me.Tip: If you let them thaw and pop them into boiling water for a few minutes (until they float to the top), they will be less chewy than if you reheat them in the microwave.
Please, please try these. They're wonderful. And really not that hard. I can't wait to try some variations. Instead of squash and nutmeg, I'm thinking spinach and garlic. Or broccoli and, um, garlic. Ooh, maybe carrot and ginger...
