At least 90 percent of the time when I cook gnocchi, I sear it first (also known as pre-searing, see table, A Brief Summary of Fire-Driven Cooking Methods, page 40). It’s my preferred way to cook this pasta before I toss it with a sauce or into a salad (seared gnocchi makes an excellent crouton substitute); the combination of a crispy outside and pillowy-soft inside makes it irresistible. In this dish, the shrimp also get pre-seared, with a hint of smokiness from the Kashmiri chilli. The trick to searing in a skillet is to avoid overcrowding the food, or the moisture released will make the food soggy instead of crisp.
This recipe feeds two people well, but you can also stretch it to four if you serve it with a hearty salad such as the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette (page 68).
Prawn Curry with Darkened Cinnamon
An˘duru kurun˘du saman˘ga issan kariy
Dried chorizo adds big flavor to this fifteen- minute meal. It’s packed with garlic and paprika and renders stunning—calling Bob Ross fans—burnt sienna–colored oil in which you cook the shrimp. Toss with more garlic, parsley, and some crushed croutons (though a handful of salty cracker crumbs would work, too), and dinner’s done