Pumpkin Gnocchi with Alfredo Sauce

My favourite meal as a teenager was Fettuccine Alfredo, mostly because I didn't eat anything with noticeable parts of vegetables. Let's just say I grew out if and discovered how great they can be when cooked right. Back to the recipe though, I love making meals like this as I can involve my kids, but you also get a seasonal and definitely gourmet result. The subtle nutmeg with the smooth sweet pumpkin are fabulous together with the alfredo sauce. Pumpkin Gnocchi is a wonderful as meal on its own, but I like to make it as side so that you can enjoy the rich flavours without feeling stuffed at the end of the meal! Tonight I made it with a great bone on rib steak and salad.

The Recipe: Pumpkin Gnocchi with Alfredo Sauce

Makes 2-3 servings as a main course and 4-6 as a side

Gnocchi:

1 cup of fresh roasted pumpkin (you can use the can stuff if you want, just don't tell me:))
1 egg
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
2-3 cups of flour (this amount will vary, based on the size of you egg, the moisture in the pumpkin etc...)

Alfredo Sauce:

1 Onion very finely diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp of butter split in half
2 cups of milk (skim or 2%)
1/4 cup parmesan
Fresh Ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix pumpkin, egg, olive oil, salt and nutmeg until smooth. Continuing mixing by hand while adding flour 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture will start out very sticky and probably cover you hands but as you add more flour it will start to come together in a dough. You have added enough flour when the dough stops sticking to you hands.

Separate the dough into pieces about 1/2 cup in size (don't worry too mush about the size as long as you can work with it). On a floured counter, roll the dough into long worms about size of a dime in diameter and cut into 3/4 of inch pieces. Set on a lightly floured cookie sheet until all the dough is ready. Some people like to use a fork to make ridges in the top of the gnocchi so that they pick up more sauce, but in the interest of time I usually don't.

Place a large pot of well salted water on the stove and bring to a boil (the same pot you make pasta in). At this point I like to start making the sauce. Once the water boils, start adding the pumpkin gnocchi (I like to put them in one at a time continuously until the pan is done). once the gnocchi float to the top they are finish. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a colander until all the gnocchi are cooked. Set aside until the sauce is ready,

Bring a large skillet (big enough to hold the Gnocchi after cooking) to medium high heat on the stove top and add the first two tbsp of butter, onion and salt. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and continue cooking for another two minutes ensuring to stir frequently so nothing burns. Add the milk and stir frequently until is boils. Turn heat to low, add the remaining butter, parmesan and pepper and stir. Add the gnocchi, plate and enjoy!
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Lasagna: My Way

When I make lasagna, I don't like really thick noodles or creamy cheeses. I think lasagna is all about the meat sauce, fresh noodles, great cheese and keeping it relatively simple. Including noodles from scratch, you can actually make this meal in about an hour and it puts anything from the freezer to shame! You can also make this meal with beef, chicken or ground turkey (I used half dark chicken and half dark turkey).

The Recipe: Lasagna, My Way

Meat Sauce:
3 pounds of ground meat
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
5 shallots diced (about 1 cup diced)
3 cloves of garlic minced
10 medium button mushrooms diced
5 medium tomatoes diced (Roma are the meatiest and add the most flavour, although I use whatever is organic and available)
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
3 tbsp fresh chopped basil
3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Homemade Pasta
12 ounces grated mozzarella
6 ounces of grated medium or old cheddar
3 ounces of parmesan grated

Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground meat and brown. This will a take a few minutes. Ensure that you stir consistently to brown all the meat evenly. Remove the meat and strain the liquid back into the pan. Return to heat and add the shallots, continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes until the mushrooms have reduced significantly. Add the tomatoes and cook for another five minutes, reducing the heat to medium and stirring frequently. Add the herbs, pepper, Worcestershire, salt, tomato paste and meat. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Lower the heat while preparing the pasta. I like to roll my pasta to the 3rd smallest setting on my pasta machine, and cut the sheets to the same length as the casserole dish I will be using. Check out the recipe here.
In a large casserole dish, add about half the meat sauce and cover with one layer of fresh pasta. Since the pasta is quite thin and fresh, I do not precook the noodles as the moisture from the meat sauce does a great job. Add half the cheddar and mozzarella evenly on top of the noodles. Add another layer of noodles, followed by the rest of the meat sauce and another layer of noodles. Finish with the remaining cheese, including the Parmesan. Place in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn the broiler on for about 3-5 minutes or until the top layer of cheese starts to bubble, but not burnt. Remove from oven and Enjoy!
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