This is for all of you (us) who don’t like to spend a lot of time slicing and dicing. All ingredients go into ONE pot, so there isn’t much to clean up, either. Nonetheless, the taste is exceptional – good enough for a special occasion!
Tuscan cuisine has a long history, going back to the Etruscans1. It’s known as cucina povera, “poor cooking” or peasants’ food. It features locally grown vegetables and legumes (and meat and fish, of course), simple ingredients, and easy ways of preparation. Just the right thing for a Friday evening when one longs for something special in anticipation of the weekend, but DOESN’T want to spend hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
2 TS olive oil
½ cup green onions, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 vegan sausages, chopped
(Okay, so there IS a bit of chopping. You can buy already-chopped green onions and mushrooms at the supermarket, a bit more expensive. Instead of vegan sausages you can use cannellini beans – very popular in Tuscany.)
1 ts minced garlic
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk (I use reduced fat but you don’t have to)
½ cup vegetable broth
Juice from ½ lemon
1 LB gnocchi
About 2 oz (½ package) sun-dried tomatoes (get the already sliced ones)
2 TS capers (or to taste)
Salt, pepper
1 cup fresh baby spinach (or kale, for a heartier taste)
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a medium-large cooking pan. Sear the mushrooms for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add green onions, and after a minute or two the vegan sausage and the garlic, stirring constantly. Turn the heat down and add the coconut milk, vegetable broth, lemon juice, gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers. Stir well. Let it simmer, uncovered, for about 7 minutes. Stir every once in a while. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the baby spinach and cook for two minutes or so, until the spinach has wilted. (You can use frozen spinach or kale; make sure it is chopped already, and just heat it for a few minutes).
That’s it. Buon appetito!
I liked this recipe. I even found gluten free gnocchi!
i have not yet ever in my life made one of those mult-step mult-ingredient recipe meals like you see on cooking shows and on people's blogs and newsletters / adding an ingredient or two to the rice and beans or trying a new condiment for the tacos is about as far as i go / am i retarded ??