One of the things I often get in the fall CSA box are various types of winter squash. My family isn’t a big fan of winter squash so I am always trying to find different ways to use it. In the past, I’ve made Squash Bread or Brownies with Squash. However, the last time I got a bunch of butternut squash I decided to try to make Squash Gnocchi. Gnocchi are little dough dumplings often made of potato and semolina flour. Gnocchi can be a bit challenging to make due to issues with getting the dough consistence right.
I decided to use a recipe from Martha Stewart for Squash Gnocchi. The biggest challenge with this recipe is getting enough liquid out of the baked squash. This process was super messy and getting just enough water out was a bit of challenge. The recipe made a large amount of gnocchi and since I didn’t want to cook it all off at once, I needed a way to harden the gnocchi so I could freeze it and store it without it all sticking together. To do this, I spread the gnocchi out on a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the gnocchi was frozen I transferred it to a storage bag.
For the gnocchi I didn’t freeze, I decided to make a cremini mushroom and bacon, brown butter sauce. My attempt was inspired by a Pan Fried Sage Butter Gnocchi recipe.
I began by cooking some diced bacon. Once I browned the bacon, I removed it from the pan on to a paper towel to drain. I also removed the excess bacon grease from the pan. Then I added some garlic and the cremini mushrooms to the pan. I sauted these. At the same time, I cooked the gnocchi by boiling it. Once the gnocchi was cooked, I tossed it with the mushrooms, garlic, and bacon. Lastly, I added some freshly grated parmesan cheese. The final product was super delicious and a nice blend of flavors and well worth the stress of making the squash gnocchi by hand.