I’ve mentioned here before that every Sunday, Cory and I throw on our backpacks and head west to a small and unassuming produce market where we acquire our weight’s worth in fruits and vegetables. The trip can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially when the weather is unforgiving and we’re carrying an abundance of apples, oranges, sweet potatoes, and onions on our backs. Ultimately though, it’s worth because the produce at that particular market is incredibly cheap (depending on the season, persimmons for 39 cents a pound, strawberries for $1 a pound, roma tomatoes for 50 cents a pound, organic apples for 60 cents a pound, etc), which allows us to eat pretty well for relatively little money. Once we arrive home and put everything away, our refrigerator is more or less overflowing with produce. The best way to deal with that problem is to prepare a dinner with a lot of fresh vegetables.
This is an incredibly flavorful and vibrant dish – definitely a new favorite. Once all the vegetables are chopped, everything comes together fairly quickly, though I’m not sure all that chopping would make it a viable candidate for a quick weeknight meal. Sauteeing the gnocchi after boiling is an essential step, it transforms the gnocchi into crispy balls of goodness. For the sake of convenience, I used shelled edamame. If you can’t find edamame at all in your area, substitute it with lima beans, fava beans, or even peas.
Gnocchi with Edamame and Vegetables
(inspired by A Mingling of Tastes)
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1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1.5 c mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepped, julienned
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb edamame, shelled
1 lb gnocchi
handful of freshly chopped basil
a couple sprigs of fresh mint (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Boil gnocchi and edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, wash and cut up vegetables.
Heat oil and butter in your largest skillet over medium heat, when hot add the gnocchi. Sautee and flip every couple minutes, until gnocchi has turned to a nice golden brown color. Remove from pan to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add a bit more oil and butter to the same skillet. Once butter has melted, add onions cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add carrots, mushrooms, and red bell pepper, stirring often until the mushrooms have softened. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook just until the tomatoes begin to break apart ever so slightly. Add edamame and cook for a couple minutes. Finally, add gnocchi back to the skillet along with chopped basil and a little bit of mint, if you have some on hand. Continue cooking until the basil has wilted, stirring often. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmigiano reggiano and serve.
Serves 4-5
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Tags: dinner, vegetarian
