Recipe: Gnocchi in Heirloom Tomato Sauce

I am made of cravings and I refuse to let the next 5 days of no working stove stand in the way of them. I’ve been seriously craving a good chunky, garlicky tomato sauce lately. I think the memory of the tomato relish that was on top of my dish at McCormick & Schmick’s a couple of weeks ago has a lot to do with it, though it’s not exactly what I’m after right now. Still, it’s close, and with summer just around the corner (well, almost… it’s 96 here today so it feels like June), tomatoes are all I can think about. Tomatoes are usually all I think about anyway as I eat at least once a day, but I haven’t actually made anything with tomatoes in a very long time and there are so many beautiful ones cropping up all over the place that it seems a real pity not to.

My current tomato crush is on the tiny heirloom tomato mix that Trader Joe’s has been offering lately. Grape-and-cherry-tomato-sized and all shades of red, orange, yellow, and green, these little guys are bursting with flavor and so beautiful they would go with just about anything. Since I’ve also been craving some gnocchi (I currently have no patience to make my own, but someday soon I will), I thought a light flavorful sauce made from these tiny heirlooms would be a lovely complement to these wonderful little potato pillows. A welcome change from the heavier, cream-based sauces usually used on gnocchi, this seemed to be the perfect dinner for a warm spring day when paired with a nice salad and served with some chilled white wine.

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your neck of the woods or a farmer’s market that will sell the small heirlooms, don’t fret. Use a couple of large heirloom tomatoes (try to mix up the colors a bit for sauce aesthetics) and you’ll be set. Don’t be afraid to almost overdo the garlic on this one; it does nothing but bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and adds a delicious aroma to the entire dish. And feel free to lay on the herbs heavily, too! Gnocchi is hearty and can absorb a lot of flavors, so go for it! Because you’ll be using plenty of herbs and not a lot of salt, as well as fresh produce, this is definitely in the good-for-you category. But as always, the best part of this dish is the price. Even using fancy-schmancy tomatoes, this dish still goes for about a mere $3/serving or so. Adding salad & wine, you still have a delicious meal that costs less than your average fast food “value” combo. Gotta love that!