Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage and Butter Sauce and Sheep Feta

Last night, I attempted to make a version of this recipe from the How Sweet It Is blog, but due to my own failings the gnocchi were not up to my standards. Because of that, I decided not to post the dish or any pictures. Tonight, I attempted to redeem myself. After consulting Mark Bitman’s recipe book and a few other sources, I decided to give Jessica’s recipe another attempt.

Last night, I attempted to substitute the regular flour for whole wheat flour, and i fried them lightly in a pan with butter and english peas. Even before the pan, they were too heavy and in my opinion not worthy. Here is the recipe and picture to follow:

Ingredients:

~ 10 oz butternut squash (half a squash, chopped)
~ 1 cup flour (Probably less)
2 tablepoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
sprinkling of pepper
2 Tbl butter
2 sage leaves
Sheep Feta (or goat)
1 tsp pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400. Chop squash into small pieces (or in my case, purchase pre-cut pieces). Top with olive oil, cinnamon and ginger. Roast for 30 minutes.

Let squash cool for 10-15 minutes. mash or puree in food processor. Should come out to about 1 cup.

Place inside mixing bowl and add flour a little bit at a time. Mix lightly with wooden spoon. Continue to add flour gradually until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and appears let sticky. You may need the whole cup, give or take. Remove from bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

Bring water to boil in large pot. While boiling, remove dough and cut into two equal portions, for ease of rolling. Sprinkle flour on your counter or board to prevent sticking. Roll out dough to look like a thin sausage. Cut into 1″ pieces.

Heat small pan on low heat with butter.

Add to water and let cook for ~4 minutes, or until pasta floats. Drain in colander. Add to pan with butter and toss. Return to bowl, top with a little finely diced sage, pine nuts and feta as you see fit.

Enjoy!