Gnocchi di zucca (Butternut squash gnocchi)

This is the last recipe I've marked to try for this Italian cookbook. The measurements seemed at first glance to be ok. 

I made only half a recipe. Using a full sized squash would have made eight dozen!

The recipe had been translated to pumpkin gnocchi, but I decided to go with the word squash, which is more accurate. Even the picture accompanying this recipe shows squash.

I tracked down the current location of the painting "Grapes and Pumpkin" which was formerly in storage in the Palazzo Pitti in Firenze but now on display at the Museo della Natura Morta. (Still Life Museum) at Poggio a Caiano, a former Medici family villa. 

http://www.alinariarchives.it/internal/?photocode=SEA-F-000332-0000&languageID=en

I cooked the squash yesterday and stored it still peeled in the fridge overnight. It took about one hour today to make 4 dozen gnocchi.  

I served myself two platefuls: one with browned butter sage as suggested in the recipe and the second with gorgonzola-butter sauce, as I normally would eat potato gnocchi in Italy.

I found I had cut the first batch of gnocchi into pieces which were too large.    

I cut all the remaining gnocchi in half. I will freeze them (uncooked) in a freezer bag. 

I preferred the gnocchi with the gorgonzola sauce. For dessert I had a fresh pear.
 

I would make these again, but only served with the gorgonzola sauce. Very yummy. It seemed like I was eating gnocchi in Italy. 

Gnocchi di zucca (Squash Gnocchi)

1/2 pound (226g) fresh butternut squash

1 C (124 g) white flour, sifted 

1/2 beaten egg 

Nutmeg, several pinches

Butter 

Gorgonzola cheese

Cut the squash into segments, scrapping out seeds and fiber. 

Place squash, skin side down in an oven proof dish. Cook for one hour at 350 F or until tender. 

Let the squash cool. Remove peel. Pass pulp through food mill. (Approx. 141 g of pulp). 

If purée is too watery, let it dry out on the stove. 

Add egg, nutmeg and most of flour to pulp. Put the mixture on a pastry board and knead into a smooth dough, working in the rest of the flour. Only add enough flour to allow handling of the dough. 

Hint from Letizia Mattiacci (Madonna del Piatto): only add enough flour to hold the dough together. Test cook several gnocchi. If they don't fall apart, you've added enough flour.

Cut dough into thirds and roll one third  at a time into a long rope. Cut into small pieces. If desired, roll along the tongs of a fork to make ridges. 

Place pieces onto parchment paper and dust with flour. 

Bring a generous amount of water to boil in a saucepan. Salt water. When the gnocchi float to the surface, let them cook a additional 30 seconds. With slotted spoon remove to a pan containing gorgonzola melted with butter.  Toss gently and serve in pasta bowls. 

May freeze uncooked gnocchi.