Getting ready for Halloween was a big thing in our house. Sure, like most kids, creating my costume was something I would think long and hard about. But I didn’t really care about the candy collection part of Halloween. Getting to eat the savory pumpkin dishes coming out of the kitchen was more my jam. As early as I can remember, we carved a pumpkin every October. But we weren’t always making jack-o-lanterns, but prepping fall pumpkin puree, always keeping the seeds to eat out of hand or use as a garnish. This year we carved white pumpkins and puréed them to make gnocchi, an Italian dumpling traditionally made with either potatoes or ricotta cheese.
To make your own pumpkin purée, split the pumpkin in half, discard the guts (saving the seeds, of course!), and rub the inside with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper. Bake these pumpkin halves cut side down in a 375-degree oven until tender, 45-60 minutes depending how big your pumpkin was. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and cool to room temperature. Scoop out the flesh and purée it in a food processor. The puree will keep in the refrigerator for about three days, but you can freeze it if you need to keep it around longer.
As a kid I ate these gnocchi tossed in just a bit of olive oil, topped with parmesan cheese. As a more seasoned eater I find they pair well with meaty ragus and thicker sauces for a hearty autumn meal. With brown butter and sage is my current favorite way to eat them.
