Blue Cheese Spinach Gnocchi

Serves 6
600g floury Potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
350g Spinach, trimmed and washed
150g Flour, plus extra for dusting
1 Egg yolk
Sea Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
75g Butter
100g Bleu d’Élizabeth Cheese
a bunch of Basil

Place the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain, return to the pan over a low heat and, shaking the pan, allow the excess moisture to steam off. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
Cook the spinach in a large pan over a medium heat with no added moisture, mixing constantly until wilted and soft. When cooked, place in a clean kitchen cloth. Gather the corners together and twist tightly to squeeze out every last drop of moisture, then finely chop the spinach.
Place the mashed potatoes, spinach, flour, egg yolk and seasoning in a large bowl and mix until evenly blended and a soft pliable dough forms. Dust your hands -and a board or tray with flour. Take small nuggets of the dough, roll it into balls and place them on the board. You should end up with about 60. Using a fork, gently flatten each ball, allowing the tines of the fork to make indentations across the top.
Heat a large pan of water just to boiling point then reduce the heat. To the simmering water add just enough gnocchi so that they have room to roam around, and cook for 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Remove and drain well, and cook the next batch.
Heat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Lightly butter a large low-sided ovenproof dish.
Place a layer of the cooked gnocchi in the dish, then crumble in some of the blue cheese. Continue to layer the gnocchi and cheese, adding seasoning and the remaining butter cut up into little pieces as you go. Cook until golden and bubbling: about 10 minutes. Scatter torn basil leaves over the top and serve.

SAUTEED ONTARIO SWEET CORN WITH BASIL & WHITE PEPPER

Serves 4

4 ears Corn (about 3 cups)
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1. Remove corn from cobs as explained above.
2. Heat butter in a large deep skillet. Add garlic and cook gently about one minute until fragrant. Add corn and cook about 5 minutes until barely cooked but heated thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and basil.

Susan's Sweet Potato Side Salad

Description
Yogurt and red-wine vinegar make a smooth and tasty dressing for this easy picnic dish. Tarragon or parsley can be added or used as a substitute for basil. Since sweet potatoes are available year-round, try serving this dish warm in cooler months; simply drain the potatoes and don’t rinse them before adding the dressing.

Serves 4
Ingredients
2 medium yams (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/3 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1 small yellow bell Pepper, diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Place sweet potato chunks in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and drain again.
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, yogurt, bell pepper, scallions, basil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Nutritional information
Per (3/4-cup) serving:
120 calories
0 g fat (0 g sat)

Tomato, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

Serves 2
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups sliced Ontario Campari Tomatoes
1 Ontario English Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup crumbled Herbed Feta Cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil or dill
Preparation
In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, the sugar, the oil, and salt and pepper to taste, add the tomatoes, the cucumber, the Feta, and the basil, and toss the salad well.
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Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Makes 1 cup.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices