Gnocchi, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and spinach, flavored with summery tasting tarragon.
We're having Indian summer this week, although I don't suppose it's called Indian summer here, since Indians are usually thought of as being from the country of India and as far as I know, it's summer most of the time there.
But the weather is much warmer than it's been, even during what's referred to as summer in the British Isles. In fact, we hardly had summer at all, merely a few days when the temperature topped 80F.
So to celebrate this belated summer, I decided to cook some of the dear sweetcorn I procured from Tesco ("dear" in the expensive sense, since British farmers don't typically grow whole continents of corn).
When I came upon a similar recipe, which used massive amounts of cheese, I decided to veganize it, and added a few extra ingredients to add flavor without the fat. Tarragon is one of my favorite herbs, and it's right at home in this dish.
The results were like summer on a fork.
I hope this isn't the last of our warm weather, but I fear it may be. October's pumpkins are right around the corner, but for now, I'm eating all the sweetcorn I can afford.
If you'd like a printable recipe, click below. Let me know if this doesn't work for you; this is something of an experiment. Otherwise, keep reading.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
kernels from 2 ears sweetcorn
2 cups baby spinach leaves (or regular leaves, loosely chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves
salt
black pepper
2-3 servings prepared gnocchi*
Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet covered in foil. Mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (Spray foil first with cooking spray.)
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in large skillet. Saute onion, garlic, and sweetcorn about 7 minutes. Add spinach and tarragon and a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid from the gnocchi. (About ¼ cup). Cook until spinach is wilted.
Season with salt and pepper, and toss the cherry tomatoes into the corn mixture.
Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain. Stir the gnocchi into the corn mixture. Serve immediately.
*Check the ingredients for vegan gnocchi (much shelf-stable gnocchi is vegan) or make your own.