Pumpkin Gnocchi with Tomato Olive Sauce

Method:

Gnocchi, an Italian dumpling-style pasta is easy to make and pairs beautifully with this tomato olive sauce.

Combine all dry ingredients and stir together well creating a dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (roughly 3 minutes). Separate into tubes approximately 6 mm thick and cut into thumb sized pillow shapes. Using the back of a fork, press and roll the gnocchi towards you. The aim is to create grooves that go all the way around the gnocchi. These catch sauce and make the pasta cook faster. Transfer the finished gnocchi to a lightly floured plate.

To make the sauce, saute the onion, garlic, celery, chilli flakes, oregano, basil and olives in oil until tender. Add the bottle of passata tomatoes and the spices and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and develops a salty, complex flavour.

When your sauce is almost done, boil a large pot of salted water. Place the gnocchi gently into the pot, being careful that they don’t stick together. Continue to boil the gnocchi for 2-4 minutes. The gnocchi are done when they all float up to the top. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon into bowls. Add the finished sauce a spoonful at a time until all the pasta is nicely coated.

Serve with a sprinkle of nut/soy Parmesan.

Ingredients:

• 1 1⁄2 C smoothly mashed pumpkin or squash, cooled, cooked
• 1 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1⁄2 tsp nutmeg or allspice
• 1 bottle of passata tomatoes
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 bunch pitted olives, chopped
• 1 small celery stalk
• 3 basil leaves, roughly torn
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• A pinch dried chili flakes
• Nut or soy Parmesan