Pumpkin gnocchi with mushrooms

First things first - this recipe does not work as written. As I was beating the mixture I realised that there was no possible way I'd be able to knead it and roll it. My options were either to keep adding flour, or to poach spoonfuls of the mixture.

I decided that there was so much mixture that adding flour to it would be crazy - we'd end up knee deep in gnocchi. Also, I didn't want to adulterate the flavour and colour of the pumpkin any further. So spoonfuls it would be.

I used 2 teaspoons to shape quenelles, dropping them into a small pan of simmering, salted water. When they floated, I lifted them out with a slotted spoon and put them, not quite touching, into a dish lined with butter and a sprinkling of semolina. Then I stored them in the fridge.

My grand plan was that these were going to be the main course of dinner for friends, one of whom doesn't really eat meat. I was going to use a porcini and truffle puree and some fresh mushrooms and sage leaves to sauce them. It was going to be delicious.

This all came unstuck when our early, light lunch became a late, large lunch. Further food was no longer appealling or desirable.

So the following day, I melted some butter in a saute pan, added quite a lot of garlic and added some of the gnocchi and very gently let them take a bit of colour. Then I added a punnet of oyster mushrooms, a couple of sliced white mushrooms, and some duxelles that I had in the freezer.

The gnocchi were still very tender, so I had to work carefully to avoid breaking them up, but fairly soon they were hot through, with the slightest crust on the outside, and the mushrooms were succulent. It made an excellent side dish to some venison sausages! And a good thing too, because I still have loads left in the fridge.