Eggplant & Zucchini Gnocchi

It had been a while—three months, give or take. I’d stopped developing and testing recipes for a handful of reasons: a hectic schedule, a lack of motivation… and, honestly, a drought of inspiration. I flipped through cookbooks, hoping for a spark, but the truth was, I had almost stopped cooking altogether.

One weekend, I wandered through the Hollywood Farmers' Market and picked up two tiny treasures: a baby eggplant and a baby zucchini.

They sat in the fridge for days—until the zucchini started to wilt, clearly not built to survive another 48 hours. That was the nudge I needed. The baby eggplant, still holding strong beside its fading companion, caught my eye. What if I turned it into a pasta sauce—something to toss with gnocchi?

INGREDIENTS

for one serving

six and a half ounces of gnocchi, cooked al dente

fourteen-ounce can of pomodorini (cherry tomatoes) in tomato juice

one baby eggplant, roughly chopped

one baby zucchini, thinly sliced

three tablespoons of white wine

a half teaspoon of minced garlic

a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika

olive oil

salt

Parmigiano Reggiano

Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me.

Start by heating a Dutch oven over high heat. Once it’s hot, coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the minced garlic and sauté just until fragrant—don’t let it brown. Toss in the chopped eggplant and sliced zucchini, stirring to coat them in the oil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the white wine. Let it bubble for a few seconds, then add the canned cherry tomatoes along with their juice. Use a wooden spoon to gently mash the tomatoes and help them break down. Stir in the smoked paprika and a pinch or two of salt. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the flavors have come together. Taste and adjust the seasoning—remember, salt brings out the richness of the tomatoes.

Once the sauce is ready, remove it from the pot and set it aside, leaving the Dutch oven on low-medium heat. Add the cooked gnocchi directly into the pot. Ladle in enough sauce to generously coat the gnocchi and stir gently to keep them from sticking. Once the gnocchi are warmed through and evenly coated, remove from the heat.

Plate the gnocchi and finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano to your taste. Serve immediately.

Oh! You will have leftover sauce which will be delicious with penne or spaghetti for another night.

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