Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi

Of all the replacements for potatoes that I have tried when making gnocchi, I have the most success with pumpkin and other winter squash. Learn to make Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
Look online for gnocchi recipes, and you’ll find all sorts of variations on the classic potato dumplings, from easy substitutes like sweet potato to more unexpected ones like spinach, ricotta, or semolina. Of the replacements I have tried, I have the most success with pumpkin and other winter squash, as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

Culinary experts who prefer store-bought pumpkin puree to homemade for pie generally give the same recommendation for gnocchi. But with repeated draining and the right accompanying ingredients, Roasted Winter Squash Puree works as successfully in dumplings as in Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Pie. A 3-pound sugar pumpkin or other squash usually creates enough puree for a batch of gnocchi.
Learn to make Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi

Homemade Pan-Fried Potato Gnocchi

It can be easy to write off certain recipes as too much work, but sometimes the effort really is worth it. That’s how I feel about gnocchi. Learn to make Homemade Pan-Fried Potato Gnocchi. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
It can be easy to write off certain recipes as too much work, but sometimes the effort really is worth it. That’s how I feel about the detailed recipe for gnocchi that I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. When I crave gnocchi, only the scratch-made version satisfies me.

Gnocchi take both hands-on and rest time, and even with a large batch, the results only last a couple of meals—although they do freeze well. Once I start the project and get my hands right in the dough, I find it soothing to feel how it comes together and to repeat the roll, cut, and imprint process until I have dozens of neat rows of dumplings lined up on baking sheets.

Potato gnocchi also became more fun to make when I found just the right balance of ingredients and techniques to use my homegrown potatoes yet keep them light and fluffy. When testing showed that a local chef’s recommendation to pan-fry the dumplings produced less gummy gnocchi than boiling, along with a lightly crisped surface, making gnocchi became one of my favorite rainy day kitchen projects.
Learn to make Homemade Pan-Fried Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is easier to make than you might think: you just need some basic ingredients, a few tricks, and time. Get gnocchi recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
Italy ruined gnocchi for me, much in the way Morocco ruined couscous: After tasting the real thing, I’m no longer impressed with the convenience-food versions that dominate in America. Although potato dumplings and steamed semolina seem vastly different, they have a surprising number of things in common. Both have reputations as difficult yet delicious delicacies. This has led companies to manufacture replacements you can grab off a shelf in a box. Neither vacuum-packed gnocchi nor instant couscous comes close to its freshly made counterpart.

Fortunately, both are easier to make from scratch than you might think. They take time, and some special tools help give the best results, but you really only need some basic ingredients and a few tricks to create the real deal.
Learn to make Homemade Potato Gnocchi and Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi