Potato gnocchi with pesto, mussels, and clams

To prepare the potato gnocchi with pesto, mussels, and clams, start with the preparation of the gnocchi. Wash the potatoes well to remove dirt. Take a pot with high sides, fill it with water, salt it, and bring it to a boil. Then, add the potatoes and let them boil for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes 1 (you can halve the cooking time using a pressure cooker). Test them with the prongs of a fork to check their doneness. While still hot, peel them 2. Now take a large bowl and sift the flour into it 3.

Now, using a potato masher, mash the potatoes into the bowl 4 and begin to knead. Then adjust the salt and add a beaten egg 5. Continue kneading vigorously with your hands until you obtain a homogeneous and soft dough 6.

Then, create logs about 0.4 inches thick with the dough 7. Using a dough scraper, cut small pieces about 0.4 inches from each log 8. Repeat the operation for the entire dough. Take a tray, place a clean cloth on it, sprinkle it with semolina, and lay the gnocchi on it gradually 9.

At this point, proceed to prepare the Genoese pesto (Pesto alla genovese). Take the basil and clean the leaves, then put them in a mortar. Now take the garlic, peel it, and add it to the mortar with a few grains of coarse salt 10. Crush the basil leaves until a bright green liquid comes out. Then add the pine nuts 11 and, while mixing, also add the grated Parmesan and Pecorino cheese. Finally, add the oil slowly while continuing to mix with the pestle 12. When you have obtained a creamy and homogeneous sauce, your pesto will be ready. If you don't have a mortar, you can use a blender, making sure to chill the blender cup in the refrigerator at least an hour before to cool it and be careful to turn on the blender intermittently so that the blades do not overheat.

Now proceed with the preparation of the shellfish. Start with the How to Clean and Open Mussels: rinse them under plenty of running water 13. Use a knife to remove encrustations and barnacles 14, then pull away the byssus, the beard you see coming out of the shells 15.

Now scrub with a new steel wool to remove any remaining impurities 16. Now take the clams. Tap them on a cutting board with the opening side down to check for sand 17 (if they have sand you must discard them, as well as those with broken shells). Then take the clams and place them in a colander placed inside a bowl and rinse them to remove any remaining sand 18. The clams will be clean when you no longer see any more sand deposit.

Now that the shellfish are clean, take a high-sided non-stick pan. Add a drizzle of oil and brown a garlic clove 19 for flavor. Then add the mussels and clams 20. Cover the pan with a lid and let the mussels and clams open up 21 over a lively flame for a few minutes until the shellfish have opened.

Once opened, drain the shellfish with a colander placed over a bowl to filter the cooking juice 22 and set it aside. Shell the shellfish, keeping a few aside for decorating your dish 23. Pour the mussels and clams with a bit of cooking liquid into a non-stick pan 24.

At this point, take a pot with high sides, pour in the water along with the remaining cooking liquid from the shellfish, and bring it to a boil. Add the gnocchi, if you prefer using a slotted spoon 25. When the gnocchi rise to the surface of the water, they are ready, and you can drain them using a slotted spoon 26 to remove the cooking water. Then add them to the pan where you placed the shellfish 27.

Also add the pesto you set aside to the pan 28, adjust the salt and pepper 29. Over low heat for 2-3 minutes, mix the ingredients well, combining them with the help of a wooden spoon or spatula, and your dish is ready 30. Then decorate the dish with the shellfish with shells you set aside and serve these wonderful potato gnocchi with pesto, mussels, and clams!