Whenever I’m visiting home, my family of course looks forward to seeing and spending time with me, but they also blatantly say how they missed not only me, but my cooking. Not one to disappoint, I try to make something a little special while I’m home, but I never want it to be too fussy or time consuming.  Thankfully, steamed mussels are fast, easy and pretty cheap when you serve it in a spicy tomato broth and some thin spaghetti on the side.

I adore this recipe because it’s all things I usually have sitting in my kitchen (or this case, my mom’s) or the garden, it has great flavor and can feed an army in very little time.  I always end up making more mussels than the recipe calls for because the bags sold at my grocer are usually 2 1/2 lbs, but I always end up with a ton of sauce anyway and it always works out.  And be sure to put some of the broth on the pasta, it’s the perfect touch.

Mussels in spicy tomato sauce

Based on Lidia Bastianich’s recipe in Lidia’s Italian-American Table

Serves 4

The pictures above show me doubling the recipe when I made this because, well, my family and I are big eaters and can easily eat a pound of mussels each. Plus the leftover sauce is fantastic to have around for pasta and other nosh. The recipe below will easily feed 4 light eaters and maybe 2-3 big appetites.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup cornmeal
• 2 ½ pounds fresh mussels
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 cups canned crushed Italian tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you can take the heat)
• 1 cup dry white wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe)
• 10 large fresh basil leaves, shredded
• Salt
• 8 ounces thin spaghetti

Directions

1.) Prep the mussels.  This is the most “time consuming” aspect of the dish, but it’s necessary.  Scrub the outside and pull the “beard” (the mossy looking thing protruding from the shell) if present. Put all of the mussels into a large bowl and cover with cold water.  Sprinkle the corn meal over the mussels and let sit refrigerated for about an hour, shaking halfway through.  This causes the mussels to open and any grit will cling to the cornmeal.  Once done, drain the mussels, rinse and discard any with open or broken shells. Keep chilled until use.

2.) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta once boiling and cook 8-10 minutes until done.  If finished before the mussels are, keep a towel over the pasta in the strainer to keep it warm.

3.) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (be sure the skillet has a tight-fitting lid to be used later). Add the garlic and cook, shaking the pan until extremely fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes.

4.) Remove the pan from the heat and slide the tomatoes into the pan. Add the oregano and red pepper flakes.  Stir and return to the heat, simmering until the tomatoes cook down, about 5 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

5.) Add the mussels to the sauce and pour the wine over them.  Stir to coat and put the lid on top, then bring to a boil.  Shake to get the mussels cooking evenly and steam until they all open, about 5 minutes.

6.) Stir the basil into the pot and taste for seasoning one more time.  Serve with hot pasta, a fresh salad and crusty bread to dip into the sauce if you feel like going for carb overload.

One Response to “mussels in spicy tomato sauce”