Southern Comfort (21 page)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the kosher salt on a baking sheet. Set all of the potatoes (russet and sweet potato) on the salt and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool and discard the salt.

To make the dough, peel the baked potatoes. Work them through a potato ricer, or press through a flour sifter, into a large bowl. Mix in 1 teaspoon of the sea salt, the egg yolks, and the flour. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it gently 3 or 4 times, adding more flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Cut the dough into six equal pieces and cover with a clean, barely damp kitchen towel.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Fill a bowl with ice water and have ready.

Lightly flour a baking sheet and also flour a dinner fork. To form the gnocchi, working with one piece at a time, roll the gnocchi dough on a lightly floured work surface into a ¾-inch-thick rope. Cut the rope into ½-inch pieces. To form each gnocchi, using your thumb, roll each piece along the back of the tines of the fork to make indentations, then gently roll the dough off the fork. Transfer the gnocchi to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are formed.

To cook the gnocchi, salt the boiling water. Once it reaches a boil, decrease the heat to a strong simmer. Add half of the gnocchi and stir gently until they begin to rise to the surface, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the ice water to cool down, then drain well on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

To finish the dish, in a large bowl, toss the gnocchi with the olive oil, and spread them out on a large baking sheet.

In a very large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cook the butter over moderate heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add one-third of the pecans and cook, stirring, until the nuts are toasted, about 2 minutes. Add half of the gnocchi and cook until they are golden brown and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with one-third of the remaining sea salt and transfer the gnocchi to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining butter, pecans, and gnocchi.

Serve immediately.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, shallots, and garlic and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir for about 1 minute. Add the white wine, stir to incorporate, and cook until the wine is almost fully absorbed. Add the water, ½ cup at a time, while stirring, making sure it is almost fully absorbed each time before adding the next portion. Once all of the water has been added and is completely absorbed, add the coconut puree and stir well.

Remove the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

To make the sauce, place all of the shrimp shells in a medium saucepan and cover with the cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then decrease to a simmer. Skim any impurities that rise to the surface off with a ladle and discard. Cook the stock for 25 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until smoking. Decrease the heat to medium and add the bell pepper, half of the carrot, half of the celery, half of the minced onion, the orange zest, chile, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves of the garlic, sprig of parsley, 1 sprig of thyme, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Cook the vegetables until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and ½ cup of the white wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add enough of the shrimp stock to just cover the vegetables with liquid (about 1 cup). Cook the sauce for 20 minutes. Remove all the herbs and puree in a blender until smooth. (Before turning on the machine, be sure the lid is tightly secured and covered with a towel to prevent the hot mixture from escaping.)

Return the sauce to the pan on a warm stove and reserve.

To make the risotto, place a saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the remaining onions, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, thyme, bay
leaf, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Decrease the heat to medium and cook the vegetables until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rice to the pan, stir, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining ½ cup white wine and cook until most of the wine is absorbed in the rice. Add the warm chicken stock in ¼-cup increments, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding chicken stock, stirring, until the rice is al dente.

Finish the risotto with the butter and lemon zest and juice. Remove the herbs and adjust the seasoning.

To prepare the shrimp, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Season the shrimp on both sides with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp on each side for 1 minute, to give them nice color, then transfer them to a plate.

For each serving, divide the risotto evenly among four bowls and top each with six shrimp. Spoon the sauce around the risotto and garnish with green onions and fresh thyme leaves.