After a delightful birthday celebration for my friend at Boneta in gastown I fell in love with Gnocchi and just had to make at home!
One day I will make it from scratch but for now I'm just going to take advantage of having convenient access to local granville island artisans.
I picked up about 300 grams of Yam Gnocchi and a stick of Parmesan from Zara's Deli as well as 2 marinated bocconcini cheese balls for my side salad.
This only took me about 15 mins to prepare and was oh so satisfying.
Yam Gnocchi
Butter (brown on low in a cast iron pan)
Sage (toast in toaster oven)
Yam Gnocchi (throw into boiling water for 5 mins, drain in colander, add to browned butter and stir)
Add sage--- Salt & Pepper --- garnish with slices of parmesan cheese & fresh sage
(I used the amazing Royal blend Pepper from local gourmet artesian JEAN-PIERRE COTE it's made with black & green pepper, all spice, clove, fennel seeds, cinnamon and rose petals)
Bocconcini Salad
Organic Heirloom tomatoes
Bocconcini Cheese
Fresh Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This dish was perfectly complimented with the elegant Gehringer Brother's Merlot from Village Wines. Village Wines has a fantastic selection of VQA wines from BC and actually sell for the same price as the wineries! They also have tastings on weekends, yay! Click here for the schedule :)
I also recently picked up a herbal almanac from a garage sale and will start incorporating health benefits into my posts :)
Health Benefits of Sage
-aids in digestion
-helps settle stomach
-soothes and stimulates skin (ie. facial steam)
Sage contains hormone precursors useful for treating menopause & irregular menstruation
Dipping a cloth into the hot tea creates a sage compress which can be applied to the forehead to help relieve tension headaches & hot flashes...breathe deeply to inhale as well as absorb sage's aromatic benefits.
A compress applied to the diaphragm or abdominal areas can help soothe stomach cramps, flatulence and general intestinal/digestive discomfort. Whenever a compress is applied, also consider sipping a cup of the sage tea (honey may be added for flavor).
tea brewed from sage leaves (just add boiling water to a couple teaspoons of dried sage and let steep for 10 mins): serves as an antiseptic blood & nerve tonic; also works as an astringent agent for the body to dry up breast milk, night sweats & mucus congestion.
Historical Folklore
Hunters often slept with bundles of sage tucked ito each armpit. THe herb would help suppress perspiration, absorb human odors and impart a subtle leafy fragrance to the skin. Hunters would also chew the leaves to whiten their teeth and freshen breath.
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