Butternut Squash Gnocchi

The extremely wet dough of these bright orange gnocchi is easily managed with the help of a pastry bag. It’s cooked by piping drops of the dough into simmering water. The smokiness of the mozzarella is an important addition to this classic Friulian recipe.Watch the Fine Cooking Culinary School Video Series, where the authors show you, step-by-step, how to make this dish, as well as eight other handmade pastas.

• 1-1/2 lb. butternut squash
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. chopped sage
• 1/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

Heat the oven to 425°F.


Cut the squash in half and rub with olive oil. Place on a sheet pan with 1/2 cup of water and roast in the oven until completely tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


In a large bowl, mash the squash with a fork and then mix in the egg, flour, nutmeg, salt, and Parmigiano Reggiano to form a loose dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.


Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag and pipe the gnocchi into the water, using a butter knife to cut the dough into individual 1/2-inch dumplings. Cook about 20 gnocchi at a time until they rise to the surface of the boiling water, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi into a bowl of ice water. Continue until all the gnocchi are cooked. Remove the gnocchi from the ice water and place on a kitchen towel to dry.


Melt the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and the gnocchi to the pan and cook until the gnocchi are warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour out into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Walnut Butter Sauce

Goat-milk ricotta is drier and denser than cow’s milk ricotta, and its pungent tangy flavor mixes well with the walnut butter sauce. Goat-milk ricotta is not always readily available; for similar results, mix fresh goat cheese with cow’s milk ricotta.Watch the Fine Cooking Culinary School Video Series, where the authors show you how to make this dish, as well as eight other handmade pastas.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 12 oz. goat-milk ricotta or 1 cup soft fresh goat cheese mixed with 3/4 cup cow’s milk ricotta.
• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbs. chopped thyme, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the flour and ricotta (or ricotta and goat cheese), and knead until a nice soft dough forms. Cut the dough into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece out into a 1-inch-thick rope and cut each rope, with a pastry cutter or knife, into 1/4-inch pieces. With your thumb, roll each piece of cut dough against the back of a handheld cheese grater. Place the gnocchi on trays dusted lightly with flour and place in the refrigerator.


Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.


Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan. Once it begins to foam, add the walnuts and thyme. Sauté a few minutes, until the butter begins to brown and the walnuts are lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the reserved pasta water and season to taste with salt and pepper.


Toss the gnocchi in the butter sauce, sprinkle with some fresh thyme, and serve.