Pumpkin Gnocchi with Speck, Walnuts and Parmesan Cream.

Pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream.

I love the traditional way of serving pumpkin gnocchi with a sage butter. However, this recipe for pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream is divinely delicious too!

Gnocchi di zucca con speck, noci e crema di parmigiano.

Visitors who have read recent Past Project posts will know that I made pumpkin gnocchi at home recently. Although I had made normal potato gnocchi before, this was my first attempt at gnocchi made with pumpkin. I have to say how chuffed I felt once my Sicilian hubby, Salvatore, had declared my pumpkin gnocchi ‘squisito’ (exquisite!), especially when served in this pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and Parmesan cream recipe.

(This post was first published a year ago but has been updated)

Different kinds of Italian pumpkin gnocchi.

There are different ways in Italy of making pumpkin gnocchi. They can be made, as I did with potatoes, flour and roasted pumpkin puree. They can be made without the potatoes, just pumpkin and flour or with ricotta instead of potatoes and some people also make them using breadcrumbs.

Like potato gnocchi, pumpkin gnocchi are often served in a cheese sauce such as parmesan, gorgonzola or tallegio to which ingredients like truffles, walnuts, broccoli or mushrooms may be added. And speck, pancetta and sausage are the most traditional ‘meat’ ingredients used in pumpkin gnocchi recipes.  These gnocchi  are also great baked and I’m planning to do a baked pumpkin gnocchi dish before pumpkin season comes to an end!

Homemade gnocchi can be frozen to use at a later date.

Homemade gnocchi can be frozen and then cooked without defrosting.  So, if you make some, make extra and freeze them.  However, they need to be put into the freezer on a tray or plate, so they don’t stick together. Once they are frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag. Then it takes no time at all to put together a delicious meal when you’re pressed for time!  In fact, I have some in the freezer  left over from the ones I made last week!

Two ways with pumpkin gnocchi.

I used my first batch of pumpkin gnocchi in two recipes, the traditional sage butter recipe (very easy to do) and this pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream recipe! It was divine!  I cooked the speck until it started to brown, then added chopped walnuts and fresh rosemary from my garden. The Parmesan cream is just cooking cream and grated Parmesan, cooked on a low heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Then once the gnocchi were ready I put the cream in the bottom of the plate, the gnocchi on top and the speck and walnuts over the gnocchi! Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Although this pumpkin gnocchi with speck and walnuts recipe involves preparing 3 different lots of ingredients, none of them take very long if you don’t count making the gnocchi themselves. This of course takes longer but isn’t that difficult and so worth doing.

If you do make this recipe I’d love to hear how it turned out. You can comment here on the blog at the bottom of the page or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon Appetito!

Make your own gnocchi!

1. Pumpkin gnocchi 
2. Potato gnocchi

Other pumpkin pasta recipes on The Pasta Project

1. Cannelloni with pumpkin and goat cheese
2. Baked pasta with pumpkin and zucchini
3. Casarecce with pumpkin and orange pesto

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Pumpkin Gnocchi with Speck, Walnuts and Parmesan cream.

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

A delicious way to serve Italian pumpkin gnocchi that looks wonderful and tastes divine.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Northern Italy

Keyword: gnocchi, homemade gnocchi, Parmesan, pumpkin gnocchi, speck, walnuts

Servings: 4

Author: Jacqueline De Bono

Ingredients

• 400 g pumpkin gnocchi (14oz) see my recipe for how to make them
• 170 g speck (6oz) cut into cubes or bought already cubed
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 60 g walnuts (2oz) chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 90 g Parmesan (3oz) grated
• 200 ml cooking cream
• 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
• salt to taste and to cook gnocchi
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put a pan of water on to boil for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil. Then bring to the boil again

Prepare the speck and walnuts

1. Cut the speck into small cubes, chop the rosemary and the walnuts.

2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Fry the speck until it starts to brown slightly. Add the rosemary and cook until the speck is almost crispy. Add the chopped walnuts. Allow them to toast a little then turn off the heat.

Make the Parmesan cream

1. Put the cooking cream into a saucepan on a low heat. Reduce the cream slightly and then add 60 g of the grated Parmesan. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Add a pinch of nutmeg if desired and salt and pepper to taste. (If the cream seems to watery you can add an egg yolk to thicken it. Continue to stir until the egg is cooked and the cream thicker)

Finish the dish

1. Divide the cream between the plates you are going to serve on just before the gnocchi are ready.

2. Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water when they come up to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in the plates/bowls with the Parmesan cream. (don’t mix the gnocchi with the cream. Just place them on top)

3. Sprinkle the speck, walnuts and rosemary on top of the gnocchi in the plates. Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can be made with normal potato gnocchi too. Other cheese can also be used such as gorgonzola or grana. If you can't find speck you can also make this dish with pancetta or very thick bacon.

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