Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto

A fresh first course with a strong flavor. Here, the characteristic sweet taste of potatoes, slightly bitter, blends harmoniously with the explosion of flavors of seafood, offering a taste experience that combines the marine scent of molluscs and crustaceans with the delicate creaminess of parsley pesto. This delicious dish captures the scents and flavors of the land and sea, combining them creatively to offer new and surprising sensations to the palate. It is a versatile dish, suitable for any time of the year, capable of transforming an ordinary lunch into an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Today's proposal is a simple pesto, prepared in a mortar, in which the typical Italian aromas and flavors are enhanced. A creative idea in taste that, despite its apparent simplicity, stands out for the delicate flavor that parsley, a simple and humble ingredient, manages to give it, making it ideal both as a condiment for pasta and as an accompaniment to meat or fish. The protagonist is parsley pesto, one of the many variations of the classic basil pesto, a type of sauce similar to green sauce which, with its unique flavor, adds liveliness and a delicate note of freshness to fish dishes, meat, croutons and bruschetta. It is easy to prepare with classic ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and parsley; to taste, for a note of stronger flavor, two anchovies can also be added. Now let's see what we need to make our Gnocchi with Seafood and Parsley Pesto. Ingredients for the gnocchi 1 kg of old potatoes 300 grams of flour 1 egg salt For the dressing 700 grams of mussels and clams 400 grams of shrimp 2 anchovies 1 clove of garlic 1 chilli pepper 1/2 glass dry white wine salt Extra Virgin Olive Oil Ingredients for the parsley pesto 40 grams of fresh parsley leaves only 2 clove of garlic 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1/2 lemon juice + 2 tablespoons water Extra Virgin Olive Oil salt Preparation Let's start by preparing the parsley: peel the leaves and wash them under running water. Next, put them on sheets of kitchen paper and dry them gently. Let's move on to the pesto: in the mortar, put a clove of garlic and pine nuts, then start crushing them. Then add the parsley leaves a few at a time. Combine the lemon juice, two tablespoons of water and just enough of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to obtain a creamy sauce. Now let's take care of the mussels and clams: wash them under running water and transfer them to a large pot with cold water and a handful of coarse salt. Let them drain for an hour. After the indicated time, rinse them again to remove excess salt and sand. In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a boil and put the potatoes to boil. When they are cooked, we drain them, peel them and pass them through a sieve. Put the mashed potatoes on the pastry board and make a hollow in the center where we insert the egg and salt. Add the flour and knead until you get a homogeneous and smooth dough. Take a piece of dough at a time and make 1 cm rolls with your hands. With a knife, cut small pieces of dough and pass them through the floured grater. In a large pan, put a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the garlic clove and the chilli pepper. Bring to the heat and let it flavor, then add the anchovies and let them melt, cook the shrimp for a minute over high heat, and add the mussels and clams. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil. When the water boils, dip the gnocchi and drain them when they come to the surface. Gently dip them in our fish sauce, then add a few tablespoons of parsley pesto and a few tablespoons of gnocchi cooking water if necessary. Serve with a drizzle of raw Extra Virgin Olive Oil and grated lemon zest.