Authors: Allison Vines-Rushing

Southern Comfort (20 page)

BOOK: Southern Comfort

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Seashell Pasta with Crab and Herbs

SEASHELL PASTA WITH CRAB AND HERBS

S
ERVES
6

Probably the most annoying part of cooking pasta is that you need an extra pot of water to boil the pasta. This recipe cooks the pasta as you would risotto—in one pan, adding hot liquid to it little by little. The result is not only one less pot to clean, but the addition of water combines with the starch of the pasta and the butter, coating the pasta in a lovely sauce. Kids love pasta this way, but if they are super finicky, leave the crab and herbs out of theirs.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 leek, white and light green parts, washed and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

1 pound dried seashell pasta

6 cups hot water

8 ounces fresh crabmeat, picked over to remove shells

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

¼ cup freshly grated good-quality Parmesan cheese

In a large straight-sided sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs and cook until the leek begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the pasta to the pan and 2½ cups of the hot water. Cook, stirring frequently as you would risotto, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the remaining 2½ cups of water and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is cooked and there is about ½ cup of liquid remaining in the pasta. Add the crab, remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, parsley, chives, and Parmesan.

Stir well and cook until the butter is emulsified into a sauce and the crab is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Serve right away.

Potato Gnocchi with Mustard-Green Pesto

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH
MUSTARD-GREEN PESTO

S
ERVES
4

Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings that are like a sophisticated comfort food. When done properly, they are a perfect balance of softness and structure. And they are delicious coated in a sharp, garlicky sauce like pesto. Italians often substitute peppery arugula for the traditional basil in pesto. Our Southern version uses peppery mustard greens instead.

1 cup tightly packed mustard greens, washed and stemmed

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

10 ounces russet potatoes (about 2 large)

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg yolk

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish

To make the pesto, combine the mustard greens, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes; reserve.

To prepare the gnocchi, preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the potatoes until soft to the touch, about 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, decrease the heat to a strong simmer.

While the potatoes are still hot, using a kitchen towel, hold the potato in one hand while with the other you peel away the skin with a knife; discard the skin. Push the flesh of the potato through a potato ricer (if you don’t have a ricer, you can press the warm potatoes through a flour sifter) into a large bowl.

To make the dough, while the riced potato is still warm, add the flour, egg yolk, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Using your fingertips, stir everything together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Dust the palms of your hands with flour and cut the dough into thirds. Quickly working with the dough while it is still warm, roll each third into a rope about ½ inch in diameter. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces. (
See photos
at end of recipe.)

Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour, and also flour a dinner fork. To form each gnocchi, using your thumb, roll each piece along the back of the tines of the fork to make indentations and gently roll the dough off the fork. Place the formed gnocchi on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are formed.

Slip the gnocchi into the simmering water and cook until they all float to the top, about 2 minutes. Transfer the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon to a bowl and toss with the pesto.

Serve garnished with shaved Parmesan.