Buttercup Squash Gnocchi

When the vegetarian little sister was in town, I made this delicious buttercup squash gnocchi for lunch. This is a time consuming dish to make but it is well worth it. There is something about brown butter that goes so well with winter squash. I even have a brown butter butternut squash soup recipe that has made it into one of my coworker's recipe collection.

I chose buttercup squash instead of butternut for this recipe since buttercup has a moisture content closer to potatoes. Butternut squash has too much liquid. It can be used but the excess liquid must be squeezed or cooked out. The excess liquid will require more flour and more flour means tough gnocchi instead of soft pillows.

What is buttercup squash? It is the green squat squash usually sold with the butternut and acorn squashes. It looks almost identical to Japanese kabocha squash. Kabocha can be used but is a little harder to find in the grocery store.

2 buttercup squash
3 yukon gold potatoes
2 eggs
unbleached flour
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
butter, as needed
fresh sage, use only leaves and slice
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (optional)

1. Cut buttercup squash in half. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Place potatoes on the same baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven until tender.
2. Let both squash and potatoes cool slightly and then run through a ricer or food mill. After ricing, cool completely.
3. Mix in two eggs and season with salt & pepper.
4. Mix in flour, a little at a time until the dough holds together. The goal is to use as little flour as possible. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour or overnight.
5. On a floured surface, roll out dough into long rope about the diameter of your thumb. Cut into-one inch pieces and roll on the tines of fork or gnocchi board to create little ridges.
6. Bring a pot of water to boil. Salt the water. Add gnocchi to boiling water. You want to do it in batches. I think I was able to do about 2 dozen at a time. The gnocchi will cook fairly quickly and float to the top. Use a slotted spoon and remove from water. Since I was making such a large amount of gnocchi, I held the gnocchi in a warm pyrex baking pan with a little melted butter. As I removed the cooked gnocchi, I tossed them to coat with butter.

Making brown butter and frying the gnocchi:
1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add about 1/4 stick of unsalted sweet cream butter. Let the butter cook and slightly brown. Add the boiled gnocchi and sage and saute until gnocchi pieces are golden brown.
2. Repeat until all gnocchi are sauteed.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Season with salt & pepper. Saute until tender. Add the mushroom mixture to the gnocchi.

The last step in optional. The sautéed cubes of butternut squash adds a different texture to the dish. I cubed some butternut squash and microwaved it until tender and then sauteed in a little butter. You can also sauté some Italian sausage to make it non-vegetarian.
Toss everything together and adjust seasoning. I lightly season at every step but I tend to under season.