Ricotta Squash Gnocchi – It’s a labor of **Love**

This recipe is one of the all time faves at The Farm! I have some wonderful clients who gave me a beautiful butternut squash the other day and as soon as my husband saw it, he was thinking “gnocchi”. Today he came in the house for lunch and saw the pot of milk cooking for the ricotta and I could see the “Happy Light” turn on! He’s easy to please. This is one of those recipes that you need to carve out the whole day for. No, it doesn’t take the entire day, but you’ll definitely need to whole day for each step and the resting periods needed in between the steps. I promise that you won’t be disappointed though and this will quickly become an all time fave at your home too!

Ricotta Squash Gnocchi
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2 lb butternut squash
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c whole milk ricotta
3/4 c freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
3 tsp coarse salt
1 1/3 – 2 1/3 c flour

sauce
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3-4 tbsp unsalted butter
10 fresh sage leaves
coarse salt
1/3-1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

instructions:
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1) preheat oven to 375. cut squash into 1/4’s lengthwise. place on a parchment lined baking sheet. cover with parchment & foil and back for 1 1/2 hours. let cool slightly. remove seeds and scoop flesh from the skin into a clean kitchen towel. squeeze out approximately 3/4 cup of juice and discard.
2) in a large bowl, combine egg, ricotta, squash, flour, parmigiano, salt and 1 1/3 cups flour. mix until well blended. add more flour and knead gently until the dough is soft. place in a clean bowl and dust with flour. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
3) to form the gnocchi, cut off a piece of dough the size of an orange. flour your hands and roll out a rope about the thickness of your finger. cut into 1 inch pieces. using the back of a fork, place the piece of dough at the top of the tines and with light pressure use your thumb to roll the dough down the tines. repeat with the remaining dough.
4) melt butter in a large skillet, when it begins to foam, add the fresh sage. turn down the heat.
5) boil the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, 1-2 minutes. let cook 30 seconds more. add to the skillet and toss to coat with the butter and sage. season with salt and add a handful of cheese just before serving.