Vegan Kabocha Squash Gnocchi

pumpkin gnocchi, with stewed tomatoes, curry and star anise2

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Pumpkin Gnocchi

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: people

Calories: 541kcal

Author: Those Vegan Chefs

Pumpkin gnocchi is a classic Italian dish, it is often made with sage and brown butter. I wanted to leave the pumpkin behind replacing it with Kabocha squash (aka Asian Pumpkin), firm and sweet. The sauce brings umami and acid along with a dash of spices that are warm and welcoming. A dash of curry powder and star anise bring brightness to the stewed yellow tomatoes. The yellow tomatoes bring umami and acid to the dish.

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Ingredients

Gnocchi

2 cups kabocha squash roasted and puréed
2 ¼ cups flour unbleached all-purpose
¼ tsp salt kosher seasoning kabocha
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 ⅓ Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
¼ tsp salt kosher, seasoning the gnocchi mixture

Crispy Rice Paper "Cheese"

2 tbsp coconut oil
2 rice paper sheets
1 tsp mushroom powder
1 tsp nutritional yeast

Star Anise and Curry Stewed Yellow Tomatoes

¼ cup red onion sliced thinly
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half
¼ tsp salt kosher
¼ tsp yellow curry
2-3 star anise
¼ cup olive oil extra virgin

Garnish

Dandelion greens lightly dressed with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

Instructions

How to make Pumpkin Gnocchi

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the kabocha into large pieces. Season with kosher salt.
Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper, and cook the kabocha squash for 1 hour.
I prefer to chop the cooked kabocha squash, it's fast and easy. Completely cool before moving to the next step.
Place kabocha squash puree in a large bowl, and add 1cup of flour, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the squash, and season with kosher salt.
Start to fold the kabocha squash puree into the flour. Continue adding flour to the dough, until it starts to form a ball. Gently knead the mixture for around 10 minutes, adding a dusting of flour as needed. The dough should form a ball that is smooth and not sticking to the work surface. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Cut the dough into quarters. Lightly flour the work surface, and using both hands start to roll the dough into a log that is about as thick as your thumb.
Cut pieces into half-inch long gnocchi pieces. Cut the whole log.
You have two forming options, you can gently pinch the gnocchi in the middle creating a bow-tie shape, then place the gnocchi on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. The second method is rolling the gnocchi on a gnocchi board instead of pinching the gnocchi in the middle, this gives you the traditional ridges on the gnocchi.
Place the formed gnocchi on a baking sheet dusted with flour, and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This allows the for to rest and the gnocchi to set up.

How to make Crispy rice paper Cheese

Start by heating the coconut oil over medium heat.
Cut the rice paper into 1inch thick strips the entire length of the rice paper.
Place one strip of paper in the oil, the rice paper will puff up and become crisp in about 2 seconds.
Place on a paper towel, and season immediately with the mushroom powder and nutritional yeast.
If your mushroom powder does not have salt, sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.

How to make Star Anise and Curry Stewed Yellow Tomatoes.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil over low heat. Add the sliced onions and season with kosher salt. The onions need to cook slowly for 10 minutes.
Add the yellow tomatoes. Stir to combine
Add the curry powder, red wine vinegar, and star anise. Stir to combine.
Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. The tomatoes will release their natural juices as well as the onions. The sauce needs to reduce to a modest amount. Sauce making is a balancing act, too thick and it does not coat the food or the palate properly, too thin and it does not coat the food and has not developed enough flavor. The same should feel loose when spooning and stirring, but not so loose that it is watery.
Make sure to remove the star anise before serving.

Cooking and Platting Pumpkin Gnocchi

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and season with kosher salt. If you plan to cook all of the gnocchi at once make sure to have a big pot of water, the gnocchi needs enough room to float and move around.
Place the gnocchi in the boiling water, and gently stir the water to ensure the gnocchi do not stick to the bottom of the pan. The gnocchi will float to the top, once the gnocchi are all floating, cook for 1 minute more.
Using a spider strainer, gently remove the gnocchi, place them in a bowl, and season with salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Place the stewed tomato sauce on a plate, using a spoon spread the sauce to cover a 5-inch circle.
Scatter the gnocchi over the sauce, garnish with the dandelion greens and the crispy cheese.

Notes

Nutritional values are an estiamte.

Nutrition