LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2026

WORTH THE WAIT.

Soup of the Day from page 31

eight equal portions. Working one at a time, gently roll each portion into a rope about the thickness of a finger—it should be around 15 inches (38 cm) long. Cut with a sharp knife into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces. Carefully transfer to trays and repeat until all dough is portioned. 3. Place trays in freezer until gnocchi are hard. Transfer to zip-top bags and freeze up to 3 months. (Because these gnocchi are delicate, they are much easier to handle and cook from frozen.) 4. For the soup, halve tomato crosswise. Scoop out seeds and save for vegetable stock. Coarsely grate flesh into bowl, saving skins for stock. Set grated tomato aside. 5. Heat oil in a large pot over medium. When hot, add onion and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add grated tomato. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add stock and raise heat to high. Skim and discard fat. When it comes to a boil, add Brussels sprouts, squash, fennel and sage. Season with salt and pepper. When it returns to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. 6. Add corn and raise heat to high. When it returns to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, gently stirring occasion ally, until corn is cooked and other vegetables are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt. (Soup can be made up to this point, cooled and transferred to airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 6 months.) 7. While soup is cooking (or reheating), bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add enough gnocchi—10 to 12 per person—and stir once or twice to prevent sticking. (Save rest of gnocchi for another use.) Cook until gnocchi are done—11/2 to 2 minutes—then carefully transfer with a spider to warmed shallow bowls. Ladle soup over gnocchi. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with sage leaves (if using) and serve immediately.

HARVEST VEGETABLE SOUP WITH RICOTTA GNOCCHI

This hearty vegetable soup, fortified with pillowy gnocchi, is perfect for the first cool nights of fall. For a lighter, appetizer soup, omit the gnocchi then purée 4 cups (1 L) of the soup in a food processor and stir it back into remaining soup to thicken. The gnocchi on their own make an elegant first course with brown butter (see p. 40), sage and cracked pepper. GNOCCHI 1 container (500 g) drained traditional full-fat ricotta, such as Santa Lucia or Bella Casara, about 21/3 cups (580 mL) 1/2 cup (125 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1 large egg 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 medium onions, diced, about 2 cups (500 mL) 1 red pepper, diced, about 11/3 cups (330 mL) 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 8 cups (2 L) vegetable stock, preferably homemade 3/4 lb (340 g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut into wedges 3 cups (750 mL) diced butternut squash 1/2 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, cut into 11/4-inch (3-cm) strips 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped sage SOUP 1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cored 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 cups (500 mL) corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed Extra virgin olive oil for serving Sage leaves for garnish (optional) 1. For the gnocchi, place ricotta in a large mixing bowl and blot excess moisture with paper towel. Using a silicone spatula, stir in parmigiano, egg, salt and nutmeg until evenly combined. Gently and gradually, fold in flour to form a dough. It will be soft and a little sticky, but this is essential for delicate gnocchi. 2. Line two small baking trays with parchment. Dust your work surface and trays with flour. Transfer dough to work surface and divide into

Serves 8

WHAT TO SERVE Goodlot Farmstead Ale LCBO 569228, 473 mL, $3.60

A hearty soup needs a hearty ale, not too bitter and with a creamy texture, full of dried fruit, malty and citrus flavours with a nice clean finish.

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AUTUMN 2026 ————————