Mashed Purple Potatoes with Sicilian Red Shrimp Salad and Passito di Pantelleria Sauce
When thinking about “Italian food”, wood fire pizzas and oversized bowls of pasta typically come to mind. Although Italy has an grand cuisine based on tradition, you’ll also find extreme innovation and creativity in the alta cucina, or gourmet cuisine. These dishes offer an emotional surprise and push your palate to discover the unknown through textures, flavor and the spellbinding harmony that provokes a unique sensory experience. Whether it be traditional or gourmet cuisine, the secret to Italian food is simplicity combined with only the best ingredients. In this recipe, you’ll find some of Italy’s most prized delicacies like gamberi rossi di Mazara (red shrimp from Mazara del Vallo), cavolo nero di Toscana (Tuscan kale), radicchio rosa di Verona (rose radicchio from Verona) and Passito di Pantelleria (a sweet wine from Pantelleria, Sicily).
For the Sicilian red shrimp salad:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rinse the kale, remove the stem and tear the leaves into small pieces. Use paper towels to completely dry the kale leaves and line them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Add the extra virgin olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt massage the leaves until they are well covered. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are brown
In the meantime, put the radicchio and arugula in a bowl and toss with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil.
For the mashed purple potatoes:
Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Salt the water then add the potatoes; cook until they can easily be pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, put the milk and lemon juice in a cup and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. When the potatoes are done, drain them, peel them and add them to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with electric beaters until the potatoes are broken into large chunks; about 1-2 minutes. Add the extra virgin olive oil, milk and lemon mixture, Greek yogurt, salt and black pepper. Mix for another 10-20 seconds. Salt to taste.
For the Passito di Pantelleria sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the flour and toast over medium heat; 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream, Passito di Pantelleria, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened.
For the plating:
Using a kitchen brush, design a brush stroke across a plate with the mashed purple potatoes. In the middle of the brush stroke, top with the dressed radicchio and arugula, followed by the sprouts and 3 shrimp, then sprinkle the top with a pinch of dried dill and dried crushed edible flowers. Add a few kale chips around the bottom. On one end of the brush stroke put a dollop of the Passito di Pantelleria sauce and sprinkle some crushed flowers on top. Repeat for the remaining three plates. Buon appetito!
