It was way back on 4 October 2017 and, as always, a bolt of lightning came through my head with a new recipe. So I created this recipe: I brought together two elements: the earth (the forest), which evokes musky scents, and the sea, which is joy, love and romance. With these two ingredients, clams and mushrooms, which I love so much, I created this recipe: my most successful recipe ever, the recipe that is still the most visited recipe on my site, my little creation that I carry in my heart both for the taste and the fame it brings.

The ingredients

The recipe is very easy to make and you don’t need many ingredients. The only thing you need is a few tricks to prevent one flavour from overpowering the other. The subjective skill lies in balancing the ingredients so that you get what you like best. So if we want a more marine flavour, we can use less mushrooms, and vice versa for a more woody flavour.

Clams

As always, I recommend veracious clams. I love them and, because they are a bit bigger, they are tastier than lupins. In any case, we can use the clams we like best or those we find at the market.

Mushrooms

The choice of mushrooms is huge, depending on where you live. I love porcini: I have my own memory, which I carry in my heart, of a holiday in the Marche region, characterised by high mountains and breathtaking overhangs. Around every bend, my anxiety rose and fell like the mountains in the background. Suddenly, fear gave way to hunger and I remember a restaurant, set like a diamond in this beautiful road, where I ate the best porcini pasta I have ever had in my life.

The alternative to porcini mushrooms is a mushroom that is just as powerful in flavour.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of clams
• 200 g of porcini mushrooms
• 300 g of gnocchi
• 1/2 glass of white wine
• Salt and chilli pepper Q.B.
• Parsley
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Cloves of garlic

Preparation

• First prepare the water for the gnocchi and add salt.
• In a frying pan, put the oil, garlic and chilli pepper and fry until the garlic is golden.
• When the garlic is golden, add the clams, which we have soaked in salted water (about a handful of salt) and put them in a container with a plate in the bottom and leave them overnight.
• Once the clams are in the pan, immediately pour in the wine and cover with a lid. As soon as the clams open, remove them from the pan and put them in a container.
• Meanwhile, the wine we added earlier will start to evaporate, leaving a delicious aroma in the water released by the clams. When we have finished with the clams, we move on to the mushrooms.
• In the same pan with the clam sauce, add the mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes, adjusting the salt slightly. While the mushrooms are cooking, open the clams and separate the meat from the shells.
• While the mushrooms are cooking, add the gnocchi to the boiling water. To check that the gnocchi are done, wait until they all come to the surface.
• When they have all risen to the surface, drain the gnocchi with a sieve and add them to the mushrooms.
  Add the clams and half a spoonful of the boiling water and mix gently.
• Turn off the heat and sprinkle the surface with the parsley, washed and chopped.
  All that remains is to serve!

Note

To clean the mushrooms, use a tea towel or paper towels slightly moistened with water. Take the mushroom and gently clean the surface (the cap) with the cloth. Next, cut off the stem of the mushroom just before the part that comes into contact with the soil. Then cut the mushrooms into slices or pieces, depending on your preference.

You can use any kind of fresh tomatoes you like. It is important to cook the mushrooms until they are cooked through.