Estate Verdure Gnocchi - End of Summer Gnocchi

Do you like your gnocchi made with ricotta cheese or potatoes?
People will tell you they love the ricotta ones because they are lighter than the potato gnocchi.

Gnocchi on a whole, is often served with butter, cream, tomato sauces and the majority find themselves tossed with pesto in the hot summer because pesto is not cooked.

I love them both and I will usually make them with what I have on hand when the craving hits me. I have made gnocchi stuffed with blue cheese and made with puréed cauliflower, squash, sweet potatoes, cornmeal, spinach, broccoli and even asparagus when it's on it's last legs. I recently bought mushroom and tomato powder and am planning to use them in pasta doughs this winter.

These were made with leftover mashed potatoes and normally I would make ridges but I could not find my butter paddle and was too lazy to roll them off the back of a fork.
As far as I am concerned, properly made gnocchi should be light as air no matter what it's made with and perfect at any time of year.
In this case I made them with end of the summer produce. I did not go crazy with every vegetable I could buy, I chose mine based on seasonality, color, texture and yes, price.

Fresh corn off the cob (yellow), carrots (orange), beans (green) and tomatoes (red).
Food should be bright and colorful in the summer, there are enough cold months to cook with the spice ones.

When I do make mashed potatoes I make extra so I can whip up a batch of light-as-air gnocchi.
Each vegetable cut to the same size as the gnocchi, that are bathed in a light olive oil, veggie flavored sauce, with just a light dusting of grated cheese and basil.
Simply perfect and perfectly simple.

If you do not want to make your own gnocchi, I beg you to buy fresh made not the ones in the vacuum packed box. The ones in the box are perfect for dropping into a soup or covered in a heavy sauce, but in the wintertime.
That's a rule we all can live with.

Estate Verdure Gnocchi
Makes 4 servings

* 1 batch potato gnocchi (recipe here)
* 1/4 cup olive oil + extra to finish
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 2 medium carrots, julienned
* 1 cup fresh green beans, 1" pieces
* 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and cut into large dice
* 1/2 yellow squash, half moons
* 1/4 small sweet onion, sliced in 1" pieces
* 1 cup corn off the cob
* 2 tablespoons white wine
* 1/2 cup vegetable stock
* 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated on a rasp, over the finished dish
* 4-5 large basil leaves, chiffonade

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic until you can smell it. Add the green beans, carrots and onions and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and the squash and saute for 3 minutes until the pan develops some browning.
3. Pour the wine into the pan to deglaze the bottom and add the stock. Simmer for 1 minute. 
4. Add the gnocchi and continue to simmer until everything is hot and bubbling.
5. Spoon into serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, top with cheese and basil.

I promise this will not be the last time you make this dish. Pick the colors you love and get cooking.