Pumpkin quenelles with mild Valpadana PDO and Piemonte PGI hazelnuts

Category: First courses
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients:

  • 80 g of grated mild Provolone Valpadana PDO
  • 300 g cooked pumpkin pulp
  • 160 g flour
  • 30 g of breadcrumbs (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 16 Piemonte PGI hazelnuts
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh sage

How to make pumpkin quenelle with mild Provolone Valpadana PDO and Piemonte PGI hazelnuts

Place the pumpkin pulp in a bowl and mash it well with the tines of a fork. Add the eggs and flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be firm, but at the same time soft and still slightly sticky (add breadcrumbs if necessary).

Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Heat up 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil with a generous handful of sage leaves in a large frying pan. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Take the mixture out of the fridge and, with the help of two spoons, form some quenelles. Drop them directly into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface.

Remove them with a skimmer and let them dry on absorbent paper, then transfer them to the pan with the oil and sage. Fry the quenelles for a few minutes and divide them into individual plates.

Sprinkle them with grated mild Provolone Valpadana PDO, complete with Piemonte PGI hazelnuts cut in half and a few leaves of fresh sage and serve.

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