Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Before you say it, I am not wishing these last few weeks of summer away.  I'm eating tons of fresh summer produce while it's still available, wearing the heck out of my white pants and soaking up all the sun I can.

I'm not ready to start up on the fall recipes quite yet... I just love putting pumpkin in stuff.  Soups, desserts, main dishes, everything.  And I've never been one of those people that eats pumpkin dishes only in the fall.  Especially dishes that taste restaurant quality like this one.  I mean, something magical happens when you swirl sage in brown butter until it's crispy.  It's transcendent.

Most of the ingredients are pantry items so I find myself making this quite a bit throughout the year.  It can be a quick weeknight meal for the hubs and me, but it's also fancy enough to impress company.  Do yourself a favor and go get some pumpkin just a bit early if you haven't yet.  Fall will be here soon whether we like it or not!

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
Serves 2
Recipe from Foodess.com

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups flour (or a little more)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sage leaves, roughly chopped
sea salt
Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Boil a large pot of water.  In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, egg, salt and nutmeg to combine.  Stir the flour into the pumpkin mixture in several additions.  If the dough is still sticky, add a bit more flour.  On a floured work surface and with floured hands, separate the dough into quarters.  Roll one of the quarters into a long rope about one inch thick on the work surface.  Using a pastry cutter or bench scraper, cut the rope into small pieces.  Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Drop the gnocchi into the boiling pot and cook until they rise to the surface, about 4-5 minutes.  While the gnocchi cooks, melt the butter in a large pan.  Add the sage leaves and swirl frequently until the butter turns golden in color.  Remove from heat.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked gnocchi onto paper towels to drain, then add to the brown butter and sage mixture and toss.  Transfer to serving dishes and sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.