Last month, I reviewed the cookbook La Zucca Si Sposa… by Germano Pontoni. In it are more than fifty recipes that “marry” winter squash to a number of different ingredients. The following three recipes are naturally included in the book, although my renditions have been greatly influenced by the dishes I experienced in my travels.
Gnocchi di Zucca
The pumpkin gnocchi at Ristorante Al Fogolâr in Brazzacco were my inspiration for this dish. Too often I find gnocchi to be dense and doughy, but these were incredibly delicate, even cloud-like. The secret is to use teaspoons to shape the dumplings and then drop them immediately into the cooking water. With this technique, the dough requires less flour than if they were rolled out by hand. Once cooked, the gnocchi are tossed in browned butter and sliced sage, and garnished with ricotta affumicata.
Cavucìn
This delicious purée can be prepared with any type of winter squash, such as butternut, acorn, or pumpkin. Mashed with garlicky butter and spiced with cinnamon and cloves, the purée is garnished with ricotta affumicata and some additional cinnamon, if desired. With the addition of a little extra water, it may alternatively be served as a first-course soup.
Pane di Zucca
The breads at Venzone’s Festa della Zucca inspired me to create this butternut squash loaf. The eggs and butter in the dough give the bread a texture similar to challah, slightly sweet but not as rich as brioche. For added fall flavor, the braided loaves are studded with raisins and walnuts.
Recipes for all three of these dishes may be found in my cookbook Flavors of Friuli: A Culinary Journey through Northeastern Italy.
