Potato gnocchi èVita Residuo Zero Levante, grown in Sicily with reduced use of pesticides, with clams and turnip greens, ideal for a summer dinner!
Ingredients for 4 people
Levante potatoes, 1kg
Ultra-fine “00” flour, 300g
Eggs, 1
Short-necked clams, 700g
Rapini, 600g
Fresh chilli pepper, 1
Garlic, 2 cloves
Semolina, as required
Extra virgin olive oil, as required
Table salt, to taste
Fresh thyme, to taste
Chilli powder, to taste
Preparation
First of all, leave the clams to purge in a bowl with water and salt. In the meantime, thoroughly wash the potatoes, peel them and then boil them in plenty of salted water for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are soft enough. Clean the rapini, removing the larger leaves, then rinse the florets under running water and put them to one side to drain.
To make the gnocchi: sieve the flour onto a pastry board, shape it into a classic well and mash the warm potatoes into the centre using a potato masher. Add an egg and salt to the mixture and then knead it. Just make the dough compact and smooth: it must be soft but not sticky. Cover with a clean, dry cloth.
Cut off a portion of the dough and roll it into a long, thin shape about 2-3 cm thick. To stop them from sticking to each other, add a little semolina and then make gnocchi from each strand using a dough scraper. Now put them onto a tray covered with a cloth sprinkled with semolina.
Chop a chilli pepper and fry it with some oil and garlic in a pan. Add the rapini and lightly fry them over a moderate heat. Warm up some oil and garlic in another pan, then add the purged and rinsed clams, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes until they open up. Bring a pan with salted water to the boil for the gnocchi.
Shell ¾ of the clams and put them to one side. Pour the cooking water from the clams over the vegetables to add some flavour. Cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface, then drain them and add them to the pan with the sauce along with the shelled and unshelled clams. Mix well and serve the gnocchi with clams and rapini, garnishing with fresh thyme and chilli powder.
Image: Canva
