Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Preheat the oven to 200°C with conventional top and bottom heat. Wash the pumpkin, cut it open and remove the seeds and stringy center. Cut it into wedges about 3 cm thick, leaving the skin on, and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast uncovered for 35–45 minutes, until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork and the edges are lightly browned. Do not add olive oil or water.

Scoop the flesh out of the skin and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or pass it through a ricer. If the purée is wet and spreads out, cook it in a dry skillet for 5–10 minutes, stirring, until it holds its shape on a spoon. Spread on a plate and leave to cool for about 30 minutes. Only then weigh out 500 g; save the remaining flesh for another dish.

Start heating the water with a tablespoon of salt in a large pot. Mix the cooled purée with the egg, all the Parmesan, half a teaspoon of salt and the nutmeg. Add 200 g flour and mix briefly with a spoon, then by hand. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky but hold together. Do not knead it for a long time as you would bread dough.

Shape a small dumpling and drop it into gently boiling water. Once it floats, cook for about another minute, then lift it out and break it open. It should be soft and hold its shape. If it falls apart, add flour from the extra allowance to the dough a tablespoon at a time, up to 50 g in total, and repeat the test. Slight stickiness alone does not mean the dough needs more flour.

Lightly dust the work surface and a large tray with the flour set aside for dusting. Divide the dough into 6 portions. Gently roll each into a log about 2 cm thick and cut into pieces about 2 cm long. Leave them smooth, shaped like little pillows. Space them apart on the tray, using only as much of the 30 g dusting flour as needed. Do not leave the shaped gnocchi sitting for long.

Wash the sage leaves and dry them thoroughly. Melt the butter in a wide skillet with a light-colored interior, add the sage and cook over medium heat, stirring. After about 4–6 minutes, the solids on the bottom should be golden brown and the butter should smell nutty. As soon as this happens, pour the butter, leaves and solids into a heatproof bowl. Do not wait for the solids to turn black.

Bring the water back to a gentle boil. Cook the gnocchi in 4 batches, leaving each batch in the water for about another minute after it floats. The dumplings should be soft, with no raw flour in the center. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly and transfer to the skillet used for the butter. Add half the butter from the bowl to the first batch and mix gently. Reserve 2 tbsp of the cooking water.

Once all the gnocchi are in the skillet, add the remaining butter with the sage and solids, the reserved 2 tbsp cooking water and the pepper. Warm over low heat for about a minute, gently moving the skillet or stirring with a spatula until the sauce coats the dumplings. Do not fry them until they form a hard crust. Divide into 4 servings, distribute the sage leaves and serve immediately.