Gluten free Vegan Pumpkin gnocchi

Today I am very happy to share with you my recipe to make some delicious, comforting gluten free, vegan, pumpkin gnocchi!

I love Autumn and I love pumpkins a lot, this is why I adore develop new recipes with them. For these gnocchi it is very, very important that you use “old” potatoes that have lost a big part of their water and, for the pumpkin, you must choose a variety with little water and a thick flesh – in Italy, for example, I use the Delica pumpkin. In France, the Bleue d’Hongrie, my absolute favourite. This recipe requires a little time so I suggest you make it during the weekend and, it is so good that children, in general, love it too. So … let’s get started !

Peel the vegetables, remove all the seeds from the pumpkin, cut them in cubes, take a baking tin, put some baking paper on it and then add the veggies. Cook them in a static oven at 175C for about 20 minutes until soft. Check them often as it may happen that the pumpkin gets ready earlier than the potatoes; if it is the case, remove the pumpkin and finish baking the potatoes. They have to become soft but not burnt.

The veggies have to be hot/warm when making the gnocchi. Press the pumpkin first and the potatoes after in a colander with the help fo a spoon to reach a velvety, smooth consistency.

Place the potatoes and the pumpkin on a kitchen counter – whether marble or wood, both are fine for making the gnocchi.

Now add 2 table spoons of psyllium, the turmeric and start mixing with your hands. Add the flour little by little – this is very, very important as I gave you “my” quantity of flour but it can vary based on the kind of potato/pumpkin you use, the brand of your flour you have at home as flours are differently milled and their consistency and capacity to absorb liquids changes. If you are not gluten free or vegan, replace the psyllium with one medium egg and the whole rice flour with quality wheat flour but the procedure is the same: egg first, then turmeric, then the flour little by little.

The gnocchi have not to become hard – they have to stay soft but at the same time they have not to break when you cook them: to me, the right consistency of the dough is when you don’t feel the wet but the dough is still soft when you touch it.

For the gluten free gnocchi, keep the dough in a plastic wrap one day in the fridge as it will be much better in flavour and consistency the day after.

Gnocchi, in general, store well in the fridge for 2 days.

Now it’s time to shape the gnocchi!

Spread some flour on your kitchen counter/table, divide the dough in 2, start rolling it with your hands and then give the gnocchi the size you like the most. Place them in a baking tray where you spread some flour before. Spread some extra flour on the gnocchi.

To cook the gnocchi, take a saucepan, add much water, bring it to boil, add some salt and then, lower the heat: when you cook the gnocchi, it is very, very important that the water is boiling very gently in order not to stress them.

The gnocchi are ready when they come to the surface.

I ate them with some delicious mushrooms I found at the market as they are in season and I love them, I cooked the mushrooms is a pan with some extra virgin olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs but feel free to be creative, these gnocchi are so versatile, they are fantastic with any sauce you may like.

If you have any questions, let me know … otherwise… Buon appetito !