Gnocch di zucca con le cozze (pumpkin gnocchi with mussels)
Gnocchi di Zucca campana con le cozze.
Sorry Julie, i normally give preference to ladies, but i had already started writing down this recipe before you expressed your preference for shrimps, so while my daughter birthday cake is baking i have completed this one.
I promise yours will be the next one
I have to start making a sort of introduction, in italy we have many tipes of pumpkins, the typical halloween one, but as well the
Zucca mantovana (zucca stands for pumpkin) which is the one i prefer because it doesn’t contain a lot of water, and with short cooking time it’s more rewarding. Another one is called Zucca Campana, which is typical of the region where I come from and which i used for this recipe.
So why am I bothering you with all this information, simple, the first step is that we have to cook/dry the pumpkin before we can use it to make gnocchi, so according to the pumpkin you’re using the dry time will probably be different.
The original recipe is made with Zucca Campana which is likely the one which contains more water but at the same time is less sweet than the others.
Slice it in cubes of about an inch or 2 cm and dry it for about 6 hours at 80 Celsius degree (176 F°) in the oven. So if you are using another type of pumpkin you might need less time to dry it. Generally 6 Kilos of Zucca Campana leave a 1 kilo of dried pulp.
Ingredients (it was about time
)
For 1 kilo of dried pulp we use about 200g of flour (but have at hands more flour)
At least a kilo of mussels, but if you love them you can exaggerate.
1 garlic clove
Extravirgin olive oil
chili pepper
splash of white wine
fresh marjoram
I should say at least 200g of flour, why? Well the flour amount depends on the residual humidity of the pumpkin, hence it can vary, but consider that less flour you use more tasty and more light is the result. Less than 200g is pretty difficult because the gnocchi dough desn’t stays together, if you use more that 200g it is not a big trouble.
(consider that grannies were boiling the pumpkin instead of drying it and using normally equal quantities of raw pumpkin and flour. The result was good but you needed a good nap after eating
)
Ok, I can’t keep you reading for the next 6 hours, hence dry the pumpkin and come back when it’s ready.
Knead the zucca and the flour. Once the flour is absorbed (if the dough is too wet you can add more flour until you get satisfied).
i'm terribly sorry i can't be more precise, but when you are dealing with dough words aren't enough, it is a matter of hands and eyes, so experience will make you perfect
now cut chunks of dough and roll it with your hand until they become like pipe of 1cm diameter (a bit less than half inch) the dough is a bit sticky so use flour on your hands, on the table and on the knife (you are about to use
), cut the roll in pieces one inch (2.5 cm) long and lay them on a wooden table or on some baking try, spread flower to avoid them sticking together or on the table.
They are ready to be cooked, hence you can boil a pot of water where we'll cook them.
You can make gnocchi some time before cooking them, but be carefull if you wait to much (more than 4-5 hours) they start getting dark, and they tend to release moisture sticking everywhere. (Pay attention, even if the darken a bit they will still be pretty good to eat)
While the water boils we have to open the mussels, in a large pan i put a smashed garlic clove, a splash of extravirgin olive oil, some marjoram and if you like it a bit of chili pepper, once they start frying, add the mussel and a splash of white wine and a splash of water, cover and wait that the mussels will open.
Once it is done take them off the heat, remove the cover and take off the shells (keep some in the shell, will use as garniture to complete the dish) put all molluscs in a bowl with a bit of their liquid, get rid as well of the garlic, the marjoram leaves and the chili.
now in the mussels pan you should have some tasty liquid left, i hope you used a pan big enough to contain the gnocchi too (why i didn't tell you before
)
By now the water should be boiling, salt it and add the gnocchi, gnocchi are cooked when they float, hence prepare yourself with something to take them off water (the literal translation of the tool i use is skimmer, but i don't know if it make sense for you)
they don't start floating all together so once they come up you pick them and put them in the pan with the mussels liquid which you have put back on the heat.
Let them roll and absorb the liquid, moreover they'll release some starch making a nice creamy sauce. Add the mussels we saved in the bowl, mix it so the warm again and serve adding on top the mussels still in the shells and a marjoram leaves.
Buon Appetito!
