Servings: for 4 persons

Italian Mussels and Pasta is a special recipe with combination of mussels with lots of parsley, garlic and saffron. The white wine was actually inspired by a known Venetian soup that is commonly ladled over the sliced and crusty breads. This can also be best served with pasta. For more unique and elegant presentation, one is advised to remove mussels from shells prior to serving it. This presentation is perfect for those who wanted to be elegant while enjoying delicious foods.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces of spaghetti or whole wheat linguine
  • ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 15-ounce can of crush tomatoes (with basil)
  • ¾ cup of dry white wine
  • Big pinch of saffron thread preferably soaked in two tablespoons of white wine or water
  • Big pinch of red pepper (crushed)
  • Freshly ground peppers to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon of finely-grated lemon zest

Steps of Preparation

The following steps must be followed accordingly to ensure that you will end up not just with successful cooking, but with a great tasting Italian Mussels and Pasta:

Step 1

Bring in large pot of water and let it boil. Cook the pasta based in the directions indicated on the packaging. Drain and then transfer to larger serving bowl. Cover this and keep warm.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. You will then need to add the ideal amount of garlic and then cook. Stir until this starts to color, preferably about two to three minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes carefully and the saffron together with the soaking liquid and bring this to a simmer. Cook and stir frequently until slightly thickened. Do this for about five minutes.

Step 3

Bring the wine and the mussels to boil in an oven or other larger pot over high heat. Make sure to cover and then reduce the heat down to medium. Cook until mussels completely open for four to six minutes. Transfer the mussels into a larger bowl with the use of a slotted spoon. Discard the unopened mussels.

Step 4

Strain mussels broth through fine-mesh sieve to tomato sauce. Then, stir in the crushed red peppers and then simmer on over medium heat for one minute. For better taste, season it with pepper and salt. Half the sauce should be ladled over the pasta, then toss to coat. You need to divide the pasta among four pasta bowls and top with mussels. Spoon remaining sauce all over the mussels and then serve. You can also top with lemon zest or mussels if you like.

One essential tip when preparing this recipe is to know more about the microplane grater. This is an excellent kitchen tool which seems like tailored made for grating the citrus zest. This kitchen tool was originally designed to work as woodcutting tool. The sharp edges aid in shaving off the zest with very minimal effort and making it lot easier to leave bitter pith of the fruit.