I love recipes made with Spanish Chorizo like this chorizo gnocchi with creamy harissa sauce, blistered tomatoes and spinach. Spanish chorizo is different than the Mexican chorizo used in tacos. It is more like salami, chewy in texture, and full of flavor. It comes cured and dried so you can buy from amazon like I do and it doesn’t need refrigeration. One of my favorite soups, caldo verde, uses this type of chorizo.
In this recipe the chorizo is lightly cooked and then combined with onions, garlic, red pepper, tomato paste and harissa sauce, which is a spicy, smoky chili paste. I like this one. This is mixed with milk or half and half to create a creamy sauce full of spice and flavor. The blistered tomatoes and spinach add freshness and earthiness. This all forms a wonderful sauce to eat on soft, pillowy gnocchi. We topped with a bit of grated parmesan.
Chorizo Gnocchi with Creamy Harissa Sauce, Blistered Tomatoes and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 8 oz dried Spanish chorizo casing removed and diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup milk or half and half I used lactose free
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 4 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 package gnocchi cooked according to instructions
Instructions
- In a non stick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. When smoking, add the washed tomatoes and allow to cook, unmoving until they blister and blacken on one side. Shake the pan and allow them to blister on another side. Repeat this for a couple minutes. You don't want them fully cooked down, just blistered on a few sides. Move to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
- Add the chorizo and cook, stirring often, until it renders some of its fat and browns slightly. You don't want it too brown, so this only takes a minute or two. Add in the onions, garlic and pepper, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring as needed.
- Add in the spices, tomato paste, harissa and milk or half and half and stir well. Simmer until it thickens and reduces to a sauce. Add in the spinach until it wilts and the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the gnocchi and drain and add the pan and toss.
- Serve hot with grated parmesan.