Pumpkin "Gnocchi" with Rosemary and Leek Butter Sauce

Last year, I bought half a dozen pie pumpkins with the intention to freeze the flesh and roast the seeds.  This was my first foray into having some winter squash around, and I was really glad I did.

I saved a few of the seeds for growing this year, and I got a couple of plants started.  Unfortunately, the bed I planned to put them in is still a work in progress, as Mr. FC&G has to chop stumps out of it, and he ran out of steam when the weather started getting unusually hot.  So, I put two or three seedlings in the side he had finished, and I hoped for the best.

Well, chalk it up to a new bed, new location, etc., but I got only one pumpkin from the plants.  I really didn't care:  this was a new bed, so I wasn't losing any space that could have gone to other crops, and the seeds were a freebie from buying the pumpkins.

To use my "bounty," I just made the following:

Pumpkin "Gnocchi" with Rosemary and Leek Butter Sauce

3 c. flour
1 t. salt
3 eggs
Flesh of one small pie pumpkin, baked until soft and removed from skin
Water as needed

Combine all ingredients and roll into "snakes" on floured cutting board.  Cut off small slices to make a small dumpling shape, and boil.  (Mine were a bit big -- stick with penny or dime sized slices.)  The pasta is ready when the dumplings float.  You will have to do this in multiple batches unless you have a really huge, wide pan to boil in.  The pasta stays nicely warm in a pan on the back of the stove.

While the pasta cooks, combine:

1/2 c. butter
1 leek, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

Saute the leek and rosemary in the butter. 

When you have your pasta ready, dress it with the butter sauce, and serve with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

This is a great way to get some Vitamin A in your diet with the pumpkin, along with all the benefits of fresh, free-range eggs and healthy leeks.  It is also a great vegetarian option, because I guarantee you won't want meat with this -- the dumpling "gnocchi" is quite meaty in texture.

How Much Does a Garden Grow?  Pumpkins

So my lone pumpkin was 10 ounces, and I paid nothing in seed costs.  Last year, I was able to get pie pumpkins for 50 cents each, but this year, everywhere I went I found exorbitant prices.  The best I found was $2.49 each, for non-organic pie pumpkins.  I'll use that price.

2011 Tally to Date: 122.31 lbs of crops; $189.37 saved