PASTA with MUSSELS

Mussels are sweet and rich in flavor and cook in minutes! In Italian cooking, we use black mussels. You can buy them already cleaned and frozen or fresh. If using fresh mussels, here are a few things to take note:

1. Buy mussels that look fresh and have no smell. The shells should be closed. If the shells are open, press them together. If it closes, it is alive and good to eat. If it does not close, it is dead! Discard….
2. Scrub with a vegetable brush under cold running water and pull off the black beard.

Pasta with Mussels can be prepared in a white wine sauce or a red tomato sauce. It’s up to you! In this blog, I will give you both recipes.

Pasta with Mussels in a White Wine Sauce

1 head garlic (peeled and chopped)

1 cup pure olive oil

1 small red onion (peeled and chopped)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)

1/2 teaspoon anise flavoring

3/4 cup good white wine

2 1/2 lbs mussels

1 lb cooked pasta (al-dente) Linguine and Spaghetti work well with this sauce.

In a large high top skillet, saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the butter, anise, white wine, and mussels. Cook on low until all of the mussels have opened up. (discard any that did not open)

Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve

Note: If you like a little kick to the sauce, just add some crushed red pepper to your liking.

Pasta with Mussels in a Red Sauce

Cook the cleaned mussels in 5 cups of base sauce (recipe in prior blog). Add 1/2 cup good red wine.