First courses recipes

Pumpkin gnocchi

Gnocchi di zucca

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 kg pumpkin
200 gr white flour
1 egg
Some pinches of nutmeg
Salt

Dressing: basil tomatoe sauce, some tablespoons of grated Grana Padano cheese, salt; or melted butter, sage, grated Grana Padano cheese.

Ready in: about 120 minutes

How to prepare the recipe: "Pumpkin gnocchi":
Remove seeds and rind from the pumpkin, cut the flesh into big pieces and cook it in the preferably in the oven (or boiling salted water).

Assemble in a bowl the pumpkin (previously passed through a sieve), flour sifted, egg, a pinch of salt and nutmeg; then mix well all the ingredients.

Cook the mixture, making it drop with a teaspoon, in abundant salted boiling water; drain gnocchi soon when they afloat.

Dress them with the tomatoe sauce and grated Grana Padana or melted butter, sage and Grana Padano.

Serve really hot.

Origin: Mantova (Mantua, Lombardy)
Ingredients for: 4 servings
Preparation: 90 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Chef's advice
“Gnocchi alla zucca” is a typical product of the mantuan cuisine tradition.
For a more rich dish, replace the tomatoe sauce with a tasty “ragù di salsiccia” (sausage ragout): fry slightly a minced onion and a really good chopped pork sausage; add a clove of garlic and some fresh tomatoe pulp.
The recommended wine is Valcalepio Bianco (white) or Rosso della Signoria (red).