hand torn gnocchi with creamy chorizo and kale

a fun and quick hack for chunky, chewy homemade noodles

i’ll be the first to admit it: my homemade gnocchi game is not great. i’ve tried various versions using different methods and have never been satisfied with the outcome. whether i use potato, ricotta or just flour, eggs and water as the base, i can’t seem to get it right. i have yet to invest in a potato ricer, so i’ll blame it on that?

as i was thinking about how to make a homemade gnocchi that would hit my own mark (even in my own potato-ricer-less kitchen), i got inspired and decided to try something a bit controversial (although according to my research it really shouldn’t be) and use scissor-cut noodles (this recipe to be exact) as a base for chewy little “gnocchi.” i tore them with my hands instead of cutting just as an experiment, and lucky for me the result was just right in all the ways: ease of preparation, time to make, and texture.

they’re technically a dumpling of sorts, as are gnocchi, but i decided to call them gnocchi because that’s what i was going for when i made them and it just sounds nice, doesn’t it? they’re not pillowy and cloud-like, they rather sit somewhere between a store-bought gnocchi (of which i personally have never had a good one), chinese scissor-cut noodles, homemade orechiette and schnupfnudeln. they have a satisfying heft and chew and the hand torn element makes them all irregular and cute.

now, about the sauce: i’d like you to think i’m a playful, spontaneous cook that’s always making something interesting and new every night, but that’s just not true. at least seventy percent of the time i’m making a pantry pasta; basically turning to my pantry and fridge, refusing to go to the grocery store and using whatever i have.

generally, i’m sticking to this script: sauté onion and garlic in olive oil and/or butter, add veg and/or a cured meat if it’s on hand, add some spices and tomato paste, splash in some pasta cooking water and let simmer, add the cooked dried pasta and finish with some dairy if desired, then serve with parmesan cheese or toasted breadcrumbs on top.

it’s my comfort dish, one that’s in my back pocket and i know i can always lean on. the recipe below is just one ideal riff on that, with the easy, chunky noodles-slash-dumplings that i’m calling gnocchi (#danger) tossed through it. feel free to swap them out for your favorite dried pasta, like rigatoni or penne, if you’re into that.

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hand torn gnocchi with creamy chorizo and kale

serves 2

for the noodles

150 grams all-purpose flour

50 grams semolina flour (optional; you can use 100% all-purpose flour here, too)

3/4 teaspoon salt

100 grams water

for the creamy chorizo and kale

2 cloves garlic

1 red onion

100 grams spanish chorizo (substitute: ‘nduja, add to the pan with tomato paste)

75 grams kale (i generally prefer tuscan kale here, but you can also use curly kale if that’s all you can find)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 tablespoons tomato paste

50 grams heavy cream

juice from 1/2 lemon

parmesan cheese

1. mix together the flour, semolina and salt in a large bowl. while stirring with your hand, slowly add the water. once the water’s all added and the dough is relatively combined, turn it out onto a clean work surface and knead to integrate all the dry flour; rub your hands together roughly back and forth to remove any excess dough and knead it back into the dough ball. cover the dough with the upturned bowl you mixed it in and let rest while you start prep the water and sauce.

2. set a covered pot of water over medium heat. peel and thinly slice garlic and onion. dice chorizo, removing the skin if needed. stem and roughly chop the kale; reserving the thinner parts of the stem if you used tuscan kale and slicing them thinly.

3. add olive oil and butter to a pan over medium heat. once melted, add onion, garlic and kale stems (if using) and sauté until softened. add chili flakes, fennel seeds, chorizo and kale and let cook for about a minute before adding a splash of water and letting cook until the water has evaporated off. add tomato paste and stir well until the tomato paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, then add another larger splash of hot water from the pot and let simmer over low heat.

4. the pot of water should now be boiling, season with salt as you would for pasta. uncover your dough and knead a few times, then halve it and use your hands to roll the halves into logs, about 1/2 inch/1 cm in diameter. use your fingers to pinch and tear off small pieces of the log to create little chunky noodles; go smaller than you think, about the size of the tip of your thumb. add half of them to the pot at a time and let cook for about 5 minutes or until they float. scoop them into the pan with the chorizo and kale using a slotted spoon. add a splash of the cooking water to the pan, too to thin the sauce out a little bit.

5. once the noodles are all cooked and added to the pan, add cream and lemon juice to the sauce and turn off the heat, tossing everything to combine. serve immediately with a little drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper and some parmesan cheese.