Friday, October 30, 2009

Friday Flavor: Pumpkin gnocchi

Yahoo....it's Friday again.  I love it when this day rolls around, don't you?  I kind of wish every day was Friday...or Saturday...or Sunday.  They're so much more fun than the rest of the week!  Anyhoo...my husband and I are headed out in the morning to pick some pumpkins, carve them and have a Halloween fiesta.  The rest of the weekend will be spent totally diy style.  I am so excited!  Hope you all have a lovely weekend, too - go spend the night in a graveyard or something - it's Halloween, afterall!  



Kate has a great recipe this week. I haven't had a chance to try this one out, but am thinking I will have to pick up the ingredients this weekend so I will have a nice, quick, delicious meal ready to put on the table one night next week.  

Happy Halloween! So, of course I have to do something pumpkin today! I came up with this recipe about a year ago, on one of those nights where you come home from work and stare at the pantry hoping the ingredients will magically come together for you. It happened to be a particularly bad grocery week- meaning we had a crazy weekend and stocking up on food for the week didn't make the cut. Needless to say, I was totally shocked at what I ended up with- a delicious meal and perfect for Halloween!

What you need:
1 pound gnocchi (I had whole wheat on hand and I actually prefer it in this recipe, but it's hard to come by. You can also just use whole wheat penne too)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
4 slices bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can low-sodium chicken stock
1 can pumpkin puree (I really like Whole Foods 365 canned pumpkin the best!)
1 teaspoon rubbed sage (if it's in a jar- it's "rubbed")
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to directions. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove, place on paper towel.

Drain off fat and wipe out the pan (although, I wish it were still 1950 and it was socially acceptable to cook with bacon fat!). Add 1 tablespoon to the pan, toss in shallots and garlic. (don't try to take a short cut and cook the bacon, shallots together. There is too much water in the shallots and it will make the bacon soggy instead of crispy!) Once shallots and garlic are fragrant, add chicken stock and pumpkin. Add nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper (take it easy on the salt- we are adding the salty bacon back in the mix soon). Let it simmer until it comes together, about 4 minutes. Add the gnocchi and the bacon and toss together. Serve in bowls topped with parmesan. Enjoy!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Halloween weekend!

5 comments:

  1. Cool looking pumpkin!

    Check out my blog!
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  2. This is a fabulous post a great recipe and such a original pumpkin carving!!!! Happy Halloween! Would you like to exchange links with me? Sharon xxooo

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  3. That sounds so good. I love gnocchi.

    Have a great weekend!

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  4. Have a good weekend. Sharon, would love to exchange links!

    ReplyDelete