Who's for the gnocchi?

Remember the other day when I said I was going to make gnocchi? 

I used this recipe from Bon Appétit and they turned out great (one change from the recipe: before adding olive oil, I tossed the gnocchi with salt as they came out of the water. It made a huge difference and really heightened the flavor!). I love the hint of nutmeg, which really draws on the tastes of fall and is so comforting and warm. 

We had them with oxtail ragu that I braised in crushed tomatoes, red wine, and fresh herbs (after the oxtail lasagna we ate at g.e.b. in Chicago, we knew we had to try to cook with oxtails at home!), and carrots with thyme and butter. Making gnocchi is easy; it just takes a bit of time to roll them out. Solution: get your friends/little ones/husbands/girlfriends/siblings to help out! Cooking, like eating, is usually best with others in the kitchen. 

Going vegetarian...for tonight.

For dinner tonight, our dishes were all vegetarian. Now, this is by no means an everyday occurrence, as some of our absolute all-time favorite dishes involve meat (and lots of it). Our families know from experience that most of our hosted family dinners center around pork shoulder or some other sort of slow-roasted meat. We didn't consciously decide that we were going to "be vegetarians" tonight, but it just so happened that every recipe that stood out to us called for vegetables, not meat. 

On the menu: 

Broccoli and leek pie, from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty.

Apple and ginger chutney, from Max and Eli Sussman's This is a Cookbook: Recipes for Real Life (we first saw this new cookbook highlighted on Smith and Ratliff and can't wait to try out more recipes!). 

Zucchini and hazelnut salad, also from Ottolenghi. 

All so fresh, flavorful, and (relatively) healthy...except for that pie, which definitely wasn't healthy, but it tasted so, so good. And honestly, we didn't miss the meat at all. There are some all-veg dishes that taste fine, but leave you wanting something heartier. All three tonight were completely satisfying. We've felt that way about most of the dishes we've tried in Plenty, a really great book that proves vegetarian cooking can be exciting and creative (the eggplant croquettes are a personal favorite). And I can't wait to try more of the Sussman brothers' recipes after flipping through their book; I'm especially looking forward to the s'mores with maple-bourbon marshmallows...maybe this weekend?!? 

What are your thoughts on vegetarian cooking? Love it? Hate it? Give Plenty a try - we promise you won't be disappointed! 

~N.