This Week's Recipe: Pumpkin Gnocchi

Why Pumpkin Gnocchi?
It is nearly a year since my fabulous trip to Italy and has taken just as long to create a recipe for pumpkin gnocchi that is of any justice to some I ate while I was in Siena.


The Siena version: I found in a small delicatessen/ green grocer that stocked ripe deep red tomatoes and other vegetables, freshly made pici, robust passatas, home made cinnamon baked apples and little orange coloured miss-shaped dumplings. The orange dumplings turned out to be home made pumpkin gnocchi, that were delicately light, a beautiful orange and deliciously yet subtly sweet. I was told by the lady who made them in a unique Italian/English dialect that she "did not add any of the potato and that the recipe would not leave". Translated: The gnocchi was not made with potato, and she was not going to give me the recipe.

My version: After quite a few attempts I have come up with a recipe that I am happy to say is just as good if not better. The secret to them is that the pumpkin has to be soft yet dry, and that unlike my recipe for ricotta gnocchi which is light and fluffy although has a roll-able dough, the dough for these dumplings remains too soft to roll and is spooned straight into the water.

I think this may be a new favourite - the sweetness of the pumpkin and the earthy spiciness of nutmeg match perfectly while the dumplings remain soft and light.'They are perfect with sage leaves fried in butter and freshly grated Parmesan.


Ingredients
1 kilo pumpkin (such as butternut or Japanese), seeds removed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces with the skin on
1 egg, beaten
approx 200 g plain flour
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 pinches nutmeg



Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with foil and a drizzle of oil. Place the pumpkin pieces on tray, season with salt and bake for 30-50 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and dry on the surface.


Scoop out the flesh and puree in a blender until smooth. Scrape the pumpkin into a bowl, add the egg, salt, nutmeg, pepper and mix well. Add the flour tablespoons at a time add mix well. Try to add as little flour as possible until your mixture holds together on a spoon.


Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Pour a little oil in a small cup to oil two teaspoons and set to the side.


When the water is boiling, lightly dip the teaspoons in the oil and form quenelles by passing the pumpkin back and forth between the spoons, and gently drop into the water. Remove with a slotted spoon when they bob on the top of the waters surface, and placed on a lightly oiled plate. Repeat until all are cooked. You can cook the gnocchi in advance and keep them on an oiled plate or tray heating them later either in the sauce or blanching them in water.


To serve them in a sage butter simply melt 125 g butter in a sauce pan and add 4-5 small sage leaves. Continue to cook until the butter starts to turn brown and add a squeeze of lemon (this will prevent the butter cooking). Toss the gnocchi in the butter and serve with some grated Parmesan.


Serves 4

Bon Appetite

This Week’s Recipe: Blueberry Orange Crumble Cake

Why Blueberry Crumble Cake?

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a cake covered in deliciously buttery icing. To make a cake unbelievably delicious takes skill these days as icings and butter creams become more indulgent from cakes covered in white chocolate whipped butter creams and 7-minute caramel icings.

Studded with deep midnight hued blueberries and covered in a crunchy, sugary and buttery crumble, this cake although icing free does every bit of justice. Coming out of the oven this cake fills the air with the goodness of a citrus and berry cake plus a cinnamon sweetness that you only get from that crumble topping.

The crumble topping adds crunch and flavour making it a great alternative to icings.

Enjoy with mascarpone and a dusting of icing sugar.

Ingredients
1 cup (150 gr) plain flour
3/4 cup (110 gr) wholemeal flour
1 cup (220 gr) caster sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
80 ml olive oil
180 ml milk
1 egg
2 teaspoon orange zest
200g frozen blueberries

Crumble Topping
1/4 cup (35 gr) plain flour
1/4 cup (55 gr) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (70 gr) walnuts
30 grams cold butter

100 grams blueberries

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and lightly flour a 24 cm spring form pan.

To make the crumble: in a food processor place the 35 grams of flour, brown sugar spices and walnuts and blitz until the nuts are small and crumbly. Add the cold butter and pulse until clumps of dough form. Set aside in a cool place.

To make the cake: in a small bowl combine the flours, spices, salt and baking powder and mix to combine with a fork. In a food processor or mixer place the sugar and oil and mix on medium speed. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the milk. Using a spatula scrape down the edges and fold through the blueberries and orange zest.

Place the batter in the lined tin and sprinkle over the crumble topping. Scatter the 100gr blueberries over the top, making sure to stud a few amongst the crumble mix.

Bake for 40-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

If you can not find whole meal flour simply substitute for plain white flour.

Serve 8-10

Bon Appetite

This Week’s Recipe: Toasted Muesli

Why Toasted Muesli?

There are too many types of muesli on the market today.

The simple task of choosing a breakfast cereal is no longer that – simple. I have found myself on too many occasions standing in the cereal aisle for more than 15 minutes, while at home there is cupboards full of half eaten muesli.

Today there is such variety in muesli from ones with dried fruit and ones with nuts, muesli with bran and muesli with extra fibre to toasted and raw.

I realised the choice was far to big for me when I left the super market with all the ingredients to make my own, in a mission of making a muesli that was exactly what I wanted to start my day.

This is my version of toasted muesli, it is not as much a recipe but a guideline for you to be inspired to make your own.

Ingredients
8 cups rolled oats
5 cups coconut
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup raw pepitas
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup hazelnuts
2 cups dried apricots, sliced thinly
1 cup currants

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a large baking tray place the oats. In a separate baking tray place the coconut, sesame sees, pepitas, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts. Toss to mix evenly and place both trays in the oven (if possible place the nut and coconut mixture on the bottom shelf to prevent is browning quickly).

Bake in the oven for 20-40 minutes, stirring the nuts and oats every 10 minutes after the first 15minutes. Bake until the oats and nuts are golden. While the muesli is hot, mix the oats and nuts together with the apricots and currants.

Allow to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Bon Appetite