italian food – The Magic Library of Bomarzo

I first heard of pumpkin gnocchi from a friend twenty years ago as she was running down a flight of stairs to catch a train at the Siena station. “How do you make them?” I shouted. “Just mash pumpkin with as little flour as possible so they’ll stick together,” she shouted back. “Some people add a potato, but I don’t.” And with that she was gone.

The idea intrigued me. I love the rich taste of pumpkin, and had just returned from a whirlwind culinary tour of Ferrara and Treviso, where I had tasted several delicious pumpkin dishes – cappellacci con la zucca, pumpkin quiches, torte salate, risotto, budini salati – sometimes combining pumpkin with radicchio or porcini. In Ferrara, I had seen giant, halved, long-necked squash almost as big as guitars already baked available at the supermarket, and was disappointed that I couldn’t carry one of those home on the train. Then a dear friend and expert gardener gave me an eight pound Queensland blue pumpkin, and I decided I should try to make some gnocchi. It sounded so easy. Right?

The first batch I made was, looking back, an amazing success. I simply roasted the pumpkin, mashed it with a bit of flour, added salt, fashioned the gnocchi, dropped them in boiling water. Nothing could have been easier. They came out perfect, and there were tons of them, over ten servings, some of which we gave away and others we froze, and the frozen ones were perfect too.

But it would take years before I obtained similar results again – sweet, rich-flavored gnocchi, brilliant orange and just the right consistency: not pasty, or hard, or mushy. Too much flour makes them indigestible. Not enough and they will dissolve when you drop them in boiling water, or simply turn into unpalatable mush. Different varieties of pumpkins produced widely different outcomes. But after many experiments, I finally hit on a method which works with most varieties of pumpkin/zucche/squash that I have tried. I do find that as a troubleshooting measure, the addition of a baked potato into the mixture is a great help – although purists might disagree.

So here’s my recipe for those who have asked.
1. First, wisely choose your pumpkin/squash. I have found that the best varieties for making gnocchi are pumpkins/squash with a firm, dry pulp, of the “farinoso” ( from farina – “flour”) type. These work well: Zucca lunga napoletana, Zucca di Chioggia, Queensland Blue, Butternut Squash. The classic Mantovana zucca, shaped like Cinderella’s carriage, so readily found in most Italian green grocers, is not as flavorful as the other varieties, but works well in terms of consistency.

2. Prepare your pumpkin for roasting/ baking. Cut it into quarters, remove seeds, prick the pulp all over, and roast in a slow oven until the pulp is tender, and the rind has crinkled and shrunk. I use disposable aluminum pans for this as juices from the pumpkin tend to seep out and caramelize, making a bit of a mess. It might take up to 40 mins to 1 hr to roast your pumpkin.

Pumpkin gnocchi may seem labor intensive, especially the first time you make them. So if you’re ready to keep at it, follow the steps below as given. If not, continue tomorrow or another day: skip down to step 5, put some strained pulp in the fridge for use within 24 hours, or put in freezer for up to 3 months.

3. Bake a potato or two. In the meantime, bake a large potato in your microwave. Or 1 medium potato and 1 yellow sweet potato.
4. Have some tomato sauce ready.
5. Strain the pumpkin Scoop out the pulp into a strainer and let the remaining liquid drain out into a bowl. Keep the liquid to add to soups or sauces. When the pulp has cooled, start squeezing out the pulp with clean hands or cheesecloth. Keep the juice for risotto or soup. You want the pulp to be as dry as possible. 1 kilo of baked pumpkin will probably yield about ½ cup of pulp when properly drained. To make gnocchi for 4, you’ll need between 1-2 cups of pulp (depending on whether you add a potato, or go for the purist version). Strain and squeeze out all your pumpkin, and set aside about 1 + 1/2 cups . Any leftover, strained pulp can be frozen for future use for gnocchi, sauce, soup, risotto, or pumpkin cheese cake, another favorite. See note below on using frozen, squeezed pulp. Or put in fridge for use within 24 hours
6. Prepare your mixture Put 1 cup of pumpkin in a bowl, and grate your baked potato and/or sweet potato into the bowl. Add salt to taste and a grind of pepper. Mash together well, and then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then gradually add flour (not more than ¼ x 1 cup of pulp).
7. Knead the mixture like bread dough. Flour your hands and begin to knead the mixture. If it feels wet or sticky, add a bit more flour and keep kneading. You’ll know when it’s ready by the way it feels. Your mixture should feel like bread dough. It will be slightly shiny and resistant to the touch. It should not be sticky, or hard and dry, or overly moist. Add another potato and a sprinkling of flour if it feels too wet. But try not to overdo the flour. Cover the gnocchi mixture and let it rest for ten minutes. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil.
8. Test drive your gnocchi. Pinch off a handful of the mixture and roll it out on a floured surface into a long snake, ¾ inch in diameter. With a fork, slice off three or four gnocchi about ¾ of an inch long and drop a couple into the boiling water. Remove them as soon as they float to the surface, and let them dry on a paper towel. Did they keep their shape or did they fall apart?
9. Test one with your fork. It should feel firm, but not hard. Now taste it. Is it mushy ( not enough binding element)? Is it pasty (too much flour)? If too pasty, try boiling another one or two just a bit longer to see if a longer boiling time solves the problem. If it still tastes “pasty,” you’ll need to correct the mixture by adding more pumpkin and/ or sweet potato before cooking the rest of the batch.
On the other hand, your gnocchi might look like they’ve held their shape, but taste very mushy – in which case you’ll need to correct the mixture by adding more flour before cooking the rest. In either case, just put your snake back into the bowl and remix. It sounds complicated, I know, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll soon get the hang of it.
10. Fixing the flaws. Too pasty: add some more strained pumpkin pulp that you put aside at the beginning. Too mushy: add a little more flour, a tablespoon of cornstarch, or maybe add a small grated potato, if you didn’t use one. You need to pay attention to the feel of the mixture as you knead it. It really should feel a bit like bread dough. Adjust salt as necessary.
Or maybe they came out perfect on your first try! Congratulations.
11. Roll your mixture into snakes If you are satisfied with the consistency of your gnocchi, divide your mixture into four balls and roll each one out into a snake ¾ inch in diameter. Then with a fork, slice off each gnocchi ¾ inch long.

12. Cook the gnocchi in batches of 10 -12. Drop them in the boiling salted water, remove with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the top, and let them drain in a colander. They shouldn’t stick or clump together, but each one should be individual and “al dente.”
13. You can serve them at once, with sage or thyme butter or tomato sauce, with or without cheese. If you have any pulp left over, you can add it to the tomato sauce, or freeze it for future use.
14. I like to warm them in the oven as follows.Put some tomato sauce in baking dish, add gnocchi in a single layer, cover with sauce, and top with grated parmesan. Pop them 10-15 minutes in the oven and serve piping hot.
15. Interesting additions and variations
A handful of boiled, squeezed chicory added to the mix will create a lovely green marbled effect and add a bite of contrasting bitter flavor.
Adding an egg, egg whites, and/or grated cheese, all of which are binding elements, to the mixture before boiling the gnocchi will change the recipe considerably – they become “gnudi” rather than “gnocchi” and will puff up almost twice their size into balls rather than gnocchi. I prefer the gnocchi version, but the gnudi will be relatively foolproof.
Using frozen pulp Since zucche are often quite large, you may have more pulp than you know what to do with. Roast, strain, and squeeze as indicated and keep up to 3 months in the freezer. Before using frozen pulp for gnocchi, let it thaw out in the fridge. You will need to squeeze it again, however, before making gnocchi, as the thawing process draws out more water. I find that this twice-squeezed pulp will be very flavorful. Wonderful for pumpkin cheese cake. No need to squeeze it again if adding to soup or sauce.
Freezing gnocchi. Line an aluminum pan with parchment paper. Place gnocchi in pan, slip inside a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Judy Witts Francini begins her seminal cookbook Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen

with advice from her mother-in-law: “Spend more time shopping and less time cooking” — to emphasize the rule observed by great cooks everywhere: the secret of delectable food lies in the careful selection of the freshest ingredients. This collection of classic Tuscan dishes ranges from the rustic and humble (panzanella or pappa al pomodoro) to the exotic (cinghiale in dolceforte — i.e. wild boar with chocolate sauce– or cacciucco, the Tuscan fish soup made with red wine) simply explained with easy- to-follow instructions, all calibrated for the American kitchen. From favorite antipastos like chicken liver crostini and fettunta (known in Rome as bruschetta) to luscious desserts like pannacotta and torta della nonna, you will learn to prepare and serve delicious, authentic Tuscan meals delighting friends and family, and yourself, of course. This book offers a no-nonsense and no fuss crash course in the very basics of Tuscan eating.

The freshest produce makes for the most delectable meals

In her short introduction, the author tells us that she has received many of these recipes from members of her Italian family, passed down from mothers and aunts, ordinary housewives and professional cooks. Cookbooks are a rarity in most Italian homes, except for an occasional stained sheaf of scribbled notes, held together with paperclips or rubberbands. Italian cooks tend to dispense with precise measurements or cooking times when preparing daily meals. “Quanto basta,” is the norm – as much or as long as it takes. Butter is often measured in quantities such as “a walnut,” rice by handfuls, liquid by fingers or glassfuls. Judy Witts Francini makes it easier for you to follow by translating this oral tradition into American measurements. Once you get the hang of it though, you’ll see these recipes lend themselves to the “ad occhio” approach –gauging measures and proportions by eye, instinct, and taste. At that point, she suggests, you will find that an old yoghurt container will serve as a measuring cup.

Other recipes in this collection were instead “picked up” at markets and shops, through conversations with butchers or fishmongers, or simply plucked out of the air, for wherever you go in Italy, recipes are the focus of animated discussions. Not only while waiting your turn to be served by the salumaio or baker, or while your anchovies are being filleted or your cuttlefish cleaned, but also while riding on the bus or waiting in line at the bank or the post office, all around you recipes and cooking methods are compared, often between strangers. It’s illuminating to eavesdrop on such exchanges — which can take the form of challenges, contests, barters, or selfless acts of sharing. Perhaps this is a second meaning to her mother-in-law’s advice, for if you keep your ears open as you go about your shopping, you can acquire an encyclopedic knowledge of Italian cuisine.

53310B6B-B588-446B-8114-A591F378F25C — Keep your ears open while out shopping to pick up cooking tips and recipes!

In addition, the author provides a list of basic ingredients, most of which are easily found at your supermarket – with the exception of the wild boar, for which a good cut of beef might substitute. Admittedly, the requirement for vine-ripened tomatoes might be more difficult to satisfy these days, even in some areas of Tuscany, unless you grow your own. Also enlightening is her explanation of a typical day in Tuscany with an hourly breakdown from the gastronomical point of view. Alas, here too, changes have occurred over the last decade, especially in urban settings, where lunch is no longer a family meal on weekdays.

Judy Witts Francini writes with authority, simplicity, and verve – and this reader wished she had provided a little bit more about herself, her life, the people and places connected to these recipes – which I am sure would make for fascinating reading. But that’s not what she is interested in –writing about herself. She is really focused on the task at hand: transmitting the basics of Tuscan cuisine. On that point, she wisely and generously advises: “The first time you try a recipe, it is new. The second time, you correct it. The third time you make it, it is yours.” In other words, cherished recipes are not something locked in a box possessed by exclusive owners, but particles in a great stream belonging to all.

Judy Witts Francini has gone on to publish other books, maintains a website dedicated to Italian cuisine http://divinacucina.com/ and has a youtube channel providing excellent videos on specific techniques. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7yncVso5NG8mDB7ObGVfKvQ1lL_ps8kx

She organizes cooking classes and gastronomical tours in Italy.

Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen was recently made available at reduced price on amazon kindle to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its first publication.

For more cookbook reviews by Linda Lappin, see her Review of Prospero’s Kitchen, Island Cooking of Greece, by Diana Farr Louis and June Marino

and Review of Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking by Pamela Sheldon Johns both appearing in Alimentum Literary Journal.

For a guide to place, travel, and food writing, see Lappin’s prize-winning craft of writing book: The Soul of Place – A Creative Writing Workbook: Ideas and Exercises for Conjuring the Genius Loci.

For more on Tuscan cuisine by Linda Lappin, see Pane & Pecorino: Living the Simple Life in Tuscany @ Travelers Tales