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Pumpkin gnocci with a leek and thyme sauce
Serves 18

These little potato dumplings are gourgeous. If you don't want to use pumpkin just substitute it with a similar quantity of your ingredient.


pumpkin gnocci
1.5kg
(3.3lbs) mashed potatoes
750g
(2lbs) Roasted pumpkin
3 cloves of garlic
600g
(21oz) flour
6 dessertspoons grated parmesan.

Roast the pumpkin or butternut squash uncovered until just soft. Boil up the potatoes, drain as dry as possible, mash and do not season. Do not add any butter or olive oil to the potatoes. Mash the pumpkin and the potato together and grate in the garlic. Add the flour just as you are ready to make the gnocci. N.B. You want to cook it soon after making it so have a large pan of boiling water ready.

Add the flour, salt and parmesan and mix together thoroughly with your hands. The mixture should become stiff. Flour a work surface, take a third of the potato mix, and start rolling in into a sausage shape. Cut out the gnocci, cook them and serve with either a little of the leek and thyme sauce. If you want to cook them for serving at a later time quickly put the pan of cooked gnocci into the sink and run cold water into it. Drain and lightly oil them. Separate them on to an oiled tray and cling film them. Simply grilled with parmesan over the top is a great way to reheat and serve them.
Leek and thyme sauce
1 large knob of butter
1 small onion
1 carrot
2 leeks
2 cloves of garlic
1 small pack of fresh thyme
1 glass of white wine
400ml
(2 cups) water
1 cup of whipping cream
2 stock cubes
Salt and black pepper
Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion, garlic, carrot and sliced leeks. Sweat them in the butter for about 15 minutes until they are very soft and starting to fully brown. Add the white wine and the remaining ingredients and simmer lightly for 30 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cool a little and then whizz it up in the blender until it is as fine as possible.