Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 cup of puréed cooked pumpkin or winter squash, canned or homemade
• 1 cup ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 3-4 cups cake flour, Italian "oo" flour, or all-purpose flour
• 2-3 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• Black pepper to taste
• Truffle salt to taste, optional

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, pumpkin puree, eggs, parmesan, and salt. Work in 2 cups of flour with your hands until everything is combined. At this stage, the dough should be extremely sticky and not really manageable yet. Mix in another 1/2 cup of flour; you want it to stay quite tacky, but become firm enough to coax into a large log.
2. If the dough still will not cooperate, add flour in small amounts until it is soft but rollable. You should not have to go beyond 4 cups total. Drape a damp towel over the dough. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil, then salt it until it tastes salty. Let it simmer while you shape the gnocchi.
3. Flour a roomy work surface, and keep extra flour nearby. Divide the dough log into 4 equal pieces. Take 1 piece, cut it in half, and roll that portion into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Slice the rope into pieces roughly the width of a fork.
4. Lightly dust the cut gnocchi with flour. Using 1 finger, press each dumpling up the back of a fork so it picks up the tine marks, then let it fall back onto the work surface. This makes each piece a little thinner and lighter, and gives it grooves and ridges for sauce to cling to. If this feels fussy, you can leave them plain; they will not be quite as good, but they will still taste fine.
5. Use a metal spatula to gently lift a few gnocchi at a time and slide them into the water. Raise the heat until the water reaches a rolling boil. Cook the gnocchi until they float, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer. Spread the cooked gnocchi on a baking sheet and toss them with a little olive oil so they do not stick together.
6. Move on to the next large piece of dough and repeat the cutting, shaping, and boiling. Keep the batches small so the gnocchi do not stick to one another.
7. When all the gnocchi are made, heat the butter over medium-high heat until the foam settles down. Add just enough gnocchi to cover the pan in 1 layer, without letting them stack. Leave them alone to fry for 90 seconds. Scatter 1/2 of the sage over the pan, cook for 1 minute more, and turn the gnocchi out onto plates. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
8. If you need to work in several batches, keep the finished gnocchi on a baking sheet in an oven set to Warm. Serve as soon as everything is done, with black pepper and truffle salt, if you have it.