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Potato 'Chicche' with Pesto, Mussels, and Clams

17/11/2023

I can guide you through the preparation of potato ‘chicche’ with a touch of the sea, thanks to the addition of mussels and clams, enriched by a delicious pesto.

Ingredients

For the potato ‘chicche’:

  • 1 kg of floury potatoes
  • 250-300 g of ‘00’ flour (variable amount depending on absorption)
  • 1 egg
  • Salt, to taste

For the dressing:

  • 500 g of fresh mussels
  • 500 g of fresh clams
  • Chopped parsley, to taste
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
  • Chili pepper (optional)

For the pesto:

  • 2 bunches of fresh basil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 30 g of pine nuts
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 50 g of grated Pecorino cheese
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Preparation

To start, prepare the potato ‘chicche’:

  1. Boil the potatoes with the skin on until they are soft. Once cooked, drain them, peel them, and pass them through a potato ricer onto a work surface.
  2. Add a pinch of salt, the egg, and start incorporating the flour until you get a smooth, non-sticky dough.
  3. Take pieces of the dough, form cylinders, and cut them into little pieces to make the ‘chicche’. If desired, you can ridge them with the tines of a fork or with the appropriate tool.
  4. Boil salted water, cook the ‘chicche’ and drain them as soon as they float to the surface.

For the dressing with pesto, mussels, and clams:

  1. Prepare the pesto by putting basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheeses, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a mortar or blender. Work the ingredients until you get a creamy and homogeneous sauce.
  2. Thoroughly clean the mussels and clams. In a large pan, sauté a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add a piece of chili pepper for a spicy touch, if you like.
  3. Add the mussels and clams, cover with a lid, and cook until they open.
  4. Once opened, remove the shells and strain the cooking liquid.
  5. In a pan, pour the pesto and dilute it with some of the cooking liquid from the clams and mussels to make it more fluid.
  6. Add the potato ‘chicche’, deshelled mussels, and clams, sauté them together until they are well seasoned.

Finally, plate the ‘chicche’ with their seafood and pesto dressing, garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

Curiosity

Pesto is a sauce that originates in Liguria and has spread throughout Italian cuisine for its practicality and fresh taste. Combining it with seafood creates a harmony between land and sea, which is very much appreciated in many Italian coastal regions where the flavors of the territory blend.

Potato 'Chicche' with Pesto, Mussels, and Clams