The talented chef Paulo Passos, author of the recipe below, is one of those people who charms for simplicity, cooking for 20 years, 10 of which at Lorenzo, an Italian restaurant and cantina in Armação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The chef started from the bottom, and like any good cook, he started out cleaning the kitchen, but he dedicated himself, learned the craft and soon started to pilot the stove. His trajectory is intertwined with Lorenzo's own trajectory, and in these 10 years at the head of the restaurant's kitchen, the chef has signed 8 editions of the Búzios Gastronomic Festival, the traditional annual event of the peninsula that brings together, two weekends, all chefs and restaurants into creating and presenting special and author dishes to the public.

The Festival takes place on the streets and the public strolls through decorated and themed tents tasting the delights of each place. I had the opportunity to meet chef Paulo when I worked as a designer and photographer for Lorenzo, and I was able to be with him in the kitchen, seeing up close all the affection with which the dishes, pastas and pizzas were produced.

The days of photographic production were very special, because although the dishes are always very well made, on these occasions they were prepared with even more care to be photographed.

And the chef was always by my side, taking care of the details and telling me stories, it is too pleasant to be in his company because his simple and humble way is captivating.

It was an honour to reproduce one of his dishes and I hope you all enjoy this fantastic recipe. To the next!

Zafferano Gnocchi with Salmon and Coconut Milk

(Pasta) Gnocchi:

Ingredients
- 200 g of potatoes
- 50 g of butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 g of Parmesan
- Flour to the point
- Salt and nutmeg to taste
- 1.5 g zafferano

Preparation
Cook the potatoes in salted water until they become very soft. When they are ready, remove the excess salt from the potatoes by washing with cold water and peeling, trying to remove only the skin, without leaving too much potato pulp attached to the skin. Once the potatoes have been peeled, mash them completely and very well with the help of a fork or a potato masher, without leaving too large grains. To make the gnocchi, pour some flour over the work surface in a circular format with a blank space in the middle. In the middle, add the mashed potatoes, the egg yolk, the Parmesan and the salt and nutmeg. Begin to mix everything, from the centre to the surroundings, so that everything is perfectly assembled. To shape the gnocchi, dust the work surface with flour. Cut a piece of dough and make 1-inch thick loaves. Slice each loaf every 2 cm, so as to obtain small cylinders and scratch each cylinder with the help of a fork to create the stripes. Cook in salted boiling water until they rise completely to the surface. Meanwhile, on a frying pan, dissolve the zafferano in a knob of butter. When the gnocchi are ready, drain and add to the pan to toss the gnocchi.

Sauce:

Ingredients
- 100 g of salmon cut into cubes
- 100 ml of white wine for reduction
- 150 ml of coconut milk
- 30 g onion and leek
- 1/2 clove of garlic
- A knob of butter
- 1/2 medium tomato, skinless and seedless
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A leaf of spinach

Preparation
Reserve a portion of the salmon cubes to grill and decorate. In a frying pan add the butter, the garlic and then the onion and the leeks. As soon as they are withered place the salmon and sauté, adding the white wine and let it reduce. Add the coconut milk and let it refine, and check the salt. Finally, add the spinach leaf and the tomato. Always cook over low heat as the coconut milk is very sensitive to heat and can darken.