Welcome to the recipes corner of my brain. A couple things for you to be aware of:
I don’t measure ingredients so these are my best guesses-do what feels right for you!
You will not find my life story here, but you will find explanations on how I executed the recipe. These are just tips-take ‘em or leave ‘em!
If you have questions drop them in the comments; I’m happy to answer!
Ingredients
Butternut Squash (about 1 ½ cups after roasting)
Onion ½ of one onion
All Purpose Flour 1 ½ cups for dough, extra for kneading
Salt measured with your heart
Nutmeg ½ tsp
Cinnamon ½ tsp
Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Butter 5 tbsp
Ground Pork 1 pound
Fresh Sage 6 leaves
Ground Sage 1 tsp
Black Pepper 2 tsp
Garlic 3 cloves minced
White Wine ¾ cup
White Miso Paste 3 tbsp
Directions
Roast squash in a 400º F oven for 60 minutes or until done. (I cut mine in half long-ways and put cut side down on parchment paper for a good roast, you could skin and cube it as well-whatever your heart desires!)
When squash is fully cooked remove from oven and run through a ricer until you have about 1 ½ cups of squash. (If you don’t have a potato ricer you can put it in a food processor or use a fork/whisk as well-the end goal is just no clumps.)
To the squash add the 1 ½ cups of flour, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp of salt and the ½ tsp of nutmeg.
Mix together until it forms a shaggy dough-it WILL be sticky. The higher the hydration of your dough, the softer the gnocchi. Place dough on a floured surface, flour it generously and begin kneading. It doesn’t take too much kneading, just enough to ensure all the flour is worked in. At the end you want a dough ball that stays together but is still slightly sticky-when you poke it it will hold your finger shape instead of bouncing back. Let rest 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting sear off the pork. Season it with whatever your heart is feeling-for this I used salt, black pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, and red pepper flakes. You want a hard sear so set your skillet to medium high heat and let it get up to temperature before you put the pork in. Once it is seared good one one side flip it over and chop into rough chunks. When it is seared good on all sides remove from the pan.
Form your gnocchi. Again-the dough will be sticky so use plenty of flour during this process. I cut the dough ball in fourths, and roll each fourth into a long ribbon, about 1/2” in diameter…yeah that sounds right. Then using a knife (or a bench scraper-very handy) cut the dough rope into chunks approximately 1/2” long. Once you have your little dough pillows, form them on a gnocchi board (if you don’t have one you can use the back of a fork or you can leave them smooth-whatever works for you!)
Start a pot of water boiling for the gnocchi.
In your skillet turn the heat down to medium and add the diced onions and 3 tbsp of butter, let cook down 2 minutes then add the minced garlic and sage leaves.
While that all simmers drop gnocchi in the boiling water-they cook fast so keep an eye on them. When they float, they’re done! Then I use a slotted spoon and transfer the gnocchi into the skillet. If you think you need to add a touch more oil or butter at this point go ahead. We want to see a sear on one side of the gnocchi-so toss them in and let them sit. Once they’re seared you should be able to stir them around without sticking.
Remove the sage leaves and add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground sage, 2 tsp black pepper, and 2 tbsp flour. Stir to combine and let simmer low for about a minute. Once all that has combined their flavors, deglaze the pan with the ¾ cup of white wine. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan and stir to combine everything well.
Dissolve the miso paste in ½ cup of hot water and add to the pan.
Add the pork back in and let everything simmer together for one minute.
Add 2 tbsp butter and stir to combine for a rich, glossy sauce.
Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and flaky salt for the perfect fall dish!
