Pizza Parisian Gnocchi with Burrata and Crispy Pepperoni
There are two kinds of cooks.
The ones who throw leftovers away.
And the ones who look at leftovers and see opportunity.
When I worked at Palace Kitchen in Seattle, we had a corner store restaurant in front of the Amazon Spheres called Home Remedy. We made pizza every day. Which meant we had leftover pizza every day. And in a professional kitchen, waste is failure. So we found ways to use it.
One time we dehydrated leftover pizza and turned it into a crumble for shishito peppers. Salty, smoky, a little nostalgic. It worked.
This time I wanted to push it further.
So I ran leftover pizza through a meat grinder and folded it into Parisian gnocchi dough.
Yes. Ground pizza.
And it works better than it has any right to.
This is classic pâte à choux style Parisian gnocchi. But with the flour reduced and replaced with finely ground pizza. It is crispy on the outside, tender inside, and tastes like pizza without being gimmicky.
Then we finish it with crispy julienned pepperoni, tomato conserva, basil, pickled peppers, chili oil, and a torn ball of burrata.
It is rich. It is bright. It is absurd in the best way.
What Is Parisian Gnocchi
Parisian gnocchi is not potato gnocchi.
It is pâte à choux dough that is piped directly into barely simmering water. Think gougère dough but formed into pasta. It floats when cooked. Then you chill it, and later pan fry it until golden brown.
It is one of those techniques that looks intimidating but is actually just repetition and muscle memory.
Ingredients
Standard Parisian Gnocchi Base (Without Pizza base)
- 170 g water (3/4 cup water)
- 85 g unsalted butter (6 tablespoons butter)
- Pinch salt
- 155 g all purpose flour (1 1/4 cups flour)
- 3 large eggs
Pizza Gnocchi Base Variation
- 170 g water (3/4 cup water)
- 85 g butter (6 tablespoons butter)
- Pinch salt
- 103 g flour (3/4 cup flour)
- 75 to 100 g finely ground pizza, about 1 cup loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 eggs
You can skip the pizza and just make classic Parisian gnocchi. But the pizza adds fat, salt, umami, and texture.
Tomato Basil Topping
- 60 g minced basil (1/4 cup minced basil)
- 60 g pickled peppers (1/4 cup chopped pickled peppers)
- 120 g tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes (1/2 cup tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili oil
How to Make Pizza Parisian Gnocchi
Grind the Pizza
Run leftover pizza through a meat grinder on fine. You want about 1 cup.
Build the Dough
Melt butter first.
Then add water so you do not lose volume while butter melts.
Add salt and ground pizza. Whisk lightly so it disperses.
Add flour and stir aggressively until it forms a smooth paste and pulls from the sides. This is your pâte à choux base.
Add paprika and mix.
Remove from heat.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing vigorously after each addition. The dough will look broken at first. Keep mixing. It will come together glossy and smooth.
You can use a stand mixer if you prefer.
Transfer to a piping bag and cut the tip to your desired size.
Cooking the Gnocchi
Salt your water like the ocean.
The water should barely simmer. If it boils aggressively, the gnocchi will break apart.
Rest the piping tip against the side of the pot.
Use an offset spatula or butter knife and slide it straight across the piping tip while squeezing to cut each gnocchi cleanly into the water.
This takes practice. Go slow.
Once they float and cook through, remove with a spider and transfer to an oiled sheet tray.
Cool at room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight for best texture.
Store airtight if holding longer.
Finishing the Dish
Crispy Pepperoni and Gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons finely julienned pepperoni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup cooked Parisian gnocchi
Render pepperoni in olive oil over medium heat.
Add gnocchi and cook until deeply golden brown. Season with salt.
Tomato Basil Topping
Mix everything in a bowl.
- 60 g minced basil (1/4 cup minced basil)
- 60 g pickled peppers (1/4 cup chopped pickled peppers)
- 120 g tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes (1/2 cup tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili oil
Spoon over the hot gnocchi.
Top with burrata. Tear it open. Finish with flaky salt, black pepper, and more chili oil.
Done.
Pizza Parisian Gnocchi with Burrata and Crispy Pepperoni
Ingredients
Standard Parisian Gnocchi Base (Without Pizza Base)
- 170 g water 3/4 cup water
- 85 g unsalted butter 6 tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 155 g all purpose flour 1 1/4 cups flour
- 3 large eggs
Pizza Gnocchi Base Variation
- 170 g water 3/4 cup water
- 85 g butter 6 tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 103 g flour 3/4 cup flour
- 75 to 100 g finely ground pizza about 1 cup loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 eggs
Tomato Basil Topping
- 60 g minced basil 1/4 cup minced basil
- 60 g pickled peppers 1/4 cup chopped pickled peppers
- 120 g tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili oil
Instructions
- Grind the Pizza. Run leftover pizza through a fine meat grinder until you have about 1 cup. Set aside.
- Make the Choux Dough. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add water, salt, and ground pizza; whisk to combine.
- Stir in flour and cook over medium heat, stirring aggressively, until a smooth paste forms and pulls away from the sides. Mix in paprika.
- Remove from heat and add eggs one at a time, mixing vigorously after each addition until glossy and smooth. Transfer dough to a piping bag.
- Pipe and Cook the Gnocchi. Bring heavily salted water to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
- Pipe dough directly into the water, cutting each piece with a knife or offset spatula.
- Cook until gnocchi float and are cooked through. Remove with a spider and transfer to an oiled sheet tray.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight for best texture.
- Crisp the Pepperoni and Gnocchi. In a skillet over medium heat, render julienned pepperoni in olive oil.
- Add cooked gnocchi and sauté until deeply golden and crispy. Season with salt.
- Make the Tomato Basil Topping. Mix basil, pickled peppers, tomato conserva or cherry tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and chili oil in a bowl.
- Finish and Serve. Spoon the tomato basil mixture over hot crispy gnocchi.
- Top with torn burrata, flaky salt, black pepper, and an extra drizzle of chili oil. Serve immediately.
