Apparently we are huge fans of pumpkin-and-cheese-stuffed dough here on Best Bites Blog.
Earlier, we shared Graffiato’s squash-filled tortellini recipe, and now here comes a Southern-style dish from Capitol Hill restaurant Art and Soul. This dish is a little more straightforward that its Italian counterpart, but still feels special enough for a dinner party or potluck offering.
Art and Soul’s Pumpkin (or Kabocha Squash) and Ricotta Dumplings
Makes 10 servings (8 to 10 dumplings per serving)
Ingredients
Dumplings
4 cups puréed pumpkin (kabocha squash also works well)
2 cups ricotta
1 cup Parmesan
2 eggs
5 to 8 cups all purpose flour
Olive oil
Nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste
Sauce
Butter (1 tablespoon per serving)
Rosemary (1 sprig per serving) OR Sage (4 to 5 leaves per serving)
Directions
Make the dough: Mix pumpkin purée, ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl until completely smooth. Add four cups of the flour to the pumpkin mixture and begin to mix, being careful not to overwork the dough. If the dough still feels wet, add another cup of flour and gently fold together with hands. Continue until the dough becomes less tacky and does not stick to hands.
Cut the dough into thirds and then cut each third into manageable chunks for rolling. Gently begin to roll the chunks of dough into log shapes, sprinkling flour as needed to allow the dough to roll on the table without sticking (until the logs are about 1½ inches in diameter). Begin to cut evenly across the logs, creating chunks slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball. Gently roll the balls of dough using hands until smooth. Set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then carefully drop the prepared balls into the water in batches. Be careful not to overfill the pot with dumplings, as this will lower the water temperature and cause the dumplings to become mushy. Cook the dumplings until they begin to float, then let them continue to cook for one additional minute. Remove the pot from heat and drain dumplings. Place cooked dumplings on a sheet tray and lightly dress with olive oil. Repeat process until all dumplings are cooked and dressed. Cool in refrigerator and store until ready to use.
Heat butter in a pan until it starts to foam. Add dumplings and rosemary or sage and sauté until golden brown and crispy, roughly 3 to 5 minutes. Plate and top with extra brown butter from the pan to serve.
