Squash gnocchi with Pecorino di Pienza and fresh thyme — Il Rigo Agriturismo Biologico in Toscana

It was such a beautiful week in Val d’Orcia! The weather was mild and sunny, with temperatures far above the average. We spent the days working outdoors, enjoying every breath of fresh air in the company of the robins that visited the garden, looking for the last seedheads.
I’m so grateful for living in the countryside. Yes, sometimes I suffer a bit of solitude, but I feel the healing power of nature around me and every minute spent in the garden is a zen exercise to clear my mind from all the anxiety of these past weeks.

I still can't believe that in just a few days is Christmas! It’s such a different atmosphere here, compared to what normally happens these days. We are going to keep it very simple this year and very intimate indeed. I thought of preparing “gnocchi”, which are the middle way between a festive, elaborated recipe and a mouth-filling, comforting dish!

Today I rehearsed, to be perfect on the 25th, my recipe of squash gnocchi with pecorino and thyme dressing!

Squash Gnocchi with pecorino and fresh thyme

Roast the whole squash in a preheated oven at 200°C for 40 min.
In the meantime place the potatoes in a large pot over high heat, and cover with cold water.
Cook your potatoes, skins on, for about 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife.

While potatoes are still hot, peel and press them through a ricer, onto a clean tray. Remove the squash from the oven, cut it half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Scoop out the pulp that should be soft and creamy. Once completely cooled, mix together the potatoes, the squash and the egg. Add half of the four, a pinch of salt and some grated nutmeg, move the dough on a wooden work surface dusted with flour. Using your hand and a dough scraper knead until smooth and homogeneous. The dough should be very soft and moist, so resist the temptation to add too much flour or your gnocchi will result too hard once boiled.

Divide the dough into pieces, and roll into long regular snakes. Sprinkle generously with flour not to let the dough stick around. Cut the dough snakes into walnut-sized pieces and roll each piece off the tines of a “cutting lines” board or just a fork, to create a grooved texture.

Cook immediately the gnocchi in boiling water just until they float, about 2 or 3 minutes. It’s better to make a test with a little piece of dough, to check the consistency and in case add more flour. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve immediately, or plunge them in cold water, drain them and place them on a tray brushed with olive oil. You can store them in the fridge and serve them in the next couple of days, warming them up in boiling water!

“Pecorino” sauce

Warm up some fresh cream and add the grated pecorino cheese with fresh thyme leaves and little ground black pepper. Keep stirring, and toss the “gnocchi'' as soon as the cheese is melted, and serve immediately. Garnish with thyme leaves and enjoy!

We hope these recipes with light up your mood, and will bring some memories of your stay in Tuscany to your homes!

A big hug from the hills and BUON APPETITO