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My second visit to Friuli was brief—a one-day stopover in Udine with Mike (my then-boyfriend and now-husband). We had just spent an exhausting week in Venezia during Carnevale. Now, Venezia is my absolute favorite place in the world, and it does possess a special magic during Carnevale time—but unfortunately the city becomes overrun by massive throngs of sightseers. So it was a huge relief to leave the mayhem of tourist-infested Venezia and arrive by train in the relatively tranquil city of Udine.

We had a reservation at Hotel President, where I had stayed on my first visit, but on arrival, we found the hotel to be closed for renovation. Fortunately the owners redirected us to another hotel across the street, Hotel Clocchiatti. Compared to Hotel President, which had a sterile, businessman’s-hotel feel to it, Hotel Clocchiatti was charming and attractive, the room a mishmash of floral and striped designs.

After grabbing pizzas at nearby Pizzeria Da Raffaele (I had salumini piccante and Mike had funghi), we took a leisurely stroll to Piazza della Libertà. There I discovered the disco solare, a sort of sun dial positioned under an archway in the Porticato di San Giovanni. This bronze disk supposedly casts a ray of sunlight on a precisely calculated point on the wall every spring and fall equinox at 12:00 noon.

That evening, we met up with my friend Steno Dondè, the owner of the Ledragomma GymnastikBall factory, and his wife, Liviana. They drove us to their hometown of Brazzacco, where we had dinner at Ristorante Al Fogolâr. We started by sharing a platter of prosciutto di San Daniele, which was followed by plates of the best gnocchi di zucca I have ever had. The dumplings were made with butternut squash, served in a generous bath of browned butter, and topped with fresh sage and smoked ricotta cheese.

Al Fogolâr’s style of gnocchi easily became my benchmark for the dish, and I have never since tasted any gnocchi so delicate and cloud-like. It took a bit of experimenting to recreate the dish at home, and I found the secret to be a reduction in the amount of flour. Most gnocchi requires enough flour to form a dough that can be rolled into a rope and cut into small pieces. Instead, this version uses a lot less flour. This result is a rather sticky dough, so instead of rolling it, the dough is dropped by rounded teaspoonfuls into boiling water to cook. The dumplings come out as soft and fluffy as a feather pillow.

After the incredible gnocchi, our final course seemed almost anticlimactic. We had frico con polenta, a thin pancake of potato and Montasio cheese, fried to a crispy exterior, leaving the center soft and gooey. It was served with polenta, as is nearly every meal in Friuli.

The next day, Mike and I took the train to Firenze for our final days in Italy, but I was already anxious to return home to begin recreating those gnocchi! Here is the recipe I came up with:

1 large butternut squash (about 2 to 3 pounds), halved lengthwise
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
• • •
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves
½ cup grated ricotta affumicata or ricotta salata

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the squash halves on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 45–50 minutes. When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the seeds and membrane. Scoop out enough flesh to measure 2 cups. (Reserve any extra for another use.) Place in a medium bowl; mash well. Cool to room temperature.

Stir the flour, salt, and egg into the mashed squash.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the water, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Cook until the gnocchi rise to the surface; remove them promptly with a slotted spoon.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until the butter has browned, about 8–10 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in the sliced sage leaves; add the gnocchi and toss to coat with butter. Serve topped with grated ricotta affumicata.

Note: I’ve heard that Ristorante Al Fogolâr has a new chef now, but I haven’t been back to see if their gnocchi is still as fantastic.