MUSSELS IN SPICY RED SAUCE
I love this dish, which is often called "Mussels Fra Diavolo", because my Italian Grandmother made it often, especially around the holidays. The lusty combination of mussels and spicy red sauce is irresistible. It's Italian-American comfort food. Forget about serving this with pasta, you absolutely must have a loaf of crusty, chewy Italian or French bread to dip in the sauce. Make sure to put an empty bowl on the table to accommodate the shells. For equipment you will need a large (10 to 12 inch) high sided saute pan (sauteuse) or a 6 to 6 quart pot with a tight fitting lid, a large spoon, and a Chinese wire mesh skimmer or slotted spoon. Red Sauce: I know my red sauce. My credentials: I grew up at the Jersey Shore, I had an Italian grandmother and I worked as a cook at Marenzi Restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco, back in the 1970's. This recipe is one for you to keep. My Napolitano red sauce is a great building block to making all sorts of dishes. It can be used to for a quick pasta dinner or for simmering fresh squash and/or bell peppers and onion. You can also use this red sauce as a base to make a "fra diavolo" with mussels, lobster or other sea food, even with leftovers and serve with rice or pasta. The most important concept in making this sauce is to really brown (caramelize) the onions and carrots, creating a natural sweetness that balances with the acidic tomatoes. For equipment you will need a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, and a wooden spoon.
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the mussels and replace the lid. Cook over high heat 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once gently. Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and firmly cooked, about 4 minutes more.
- Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl with a Chinese wire mesh skimmer. Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high. Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
- Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and place your (clean) hands in the bowl and crush the tomatoes so they breakup into a range of small pieces.
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat until it is fragrant, but before it smokes, about 40 seconds. Add the bay leaves and stir them in the oil until they begin to brown, about 10 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the onions, carrots, and oregano. Cook the vegetables until they are very brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, just enough to prevent them from scorching.
- Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, salt and pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water, (white wine or clam juice can be added depending on the intended use) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered until the sauce level has reduced by 2 or 3 inches and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cook the sauce for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
- Remove from heat, cool down in the pot, then when at room temperature, transfer to a sealed plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- This sauce will keep 10 days in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Using my recipe for basic Red Sauce, you can make a quick and spicy "fra diavolo" sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled squid and other seafood. For equipment you will need a 3-quart saucepan and a wooden spoon.
- Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan slightly over medium heat and saute the garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 40 seconds.
- Add the Red Sauce, clam juice, and salt, to taste, and simmer, stirring occasionally over medium-low heat, until the sauce returns to the thickness and quantity of the Red Sauce, about 15 minutes.
STEAMED MUSSELS
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories main-dish
Time 1h10m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Discard any with broken shells. Heat oil in a 6 to 8-quart stockpot. Saute the shallot, garlic and thyme to create a base flavor. Add the mussels and give them a good toss. Add wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and red pepper flakes; cover the pot and steam over medium-high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Toss in the tomato, parsley and butter, recover the pot, and steam for another minute to soften. The tomatoes should keep their shape. Serve with plenty of grilled garlic bread to sop up the broth.
GARLIC STEAMED MUSSELS WITH PIMENTôN AïOLI
Steps:
- FOR THE AÏOLI
- Put the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar, pimentón, and a sprinkle of salt in a food processor and purée until the mixture is homogeneous. Then, with the machine running, VERY slowly drizzle in some of the oil until the mixture is thick and smooth. When it starts to look like mayonnaise, the rest of the oil can be added in a thin, slow stream; season with salt. You want relatively thin aïoli here. If it's too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it; or on the flip side, if it's too thin, add more oil. TASTE for seasoning, adjust if needed, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- FOR THE MUSSELS
- Coat the bottom of a large pot (big enough to hold all the mussels) with olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper and bring to medium-high heat; cook until the garlic is golden and very aromatic, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the mussels, oregano, and bay leaves and stir to coat with the oil; add the wine and cover the pot. Steam the mussels for 5 to 6 minutes; if not all the shells are open, continue to cook them all a little longer. While the mussels are steaming, grill the bread.
- Serve the mussels in bowls with lots of juice from the pot (as much as you like!). Generously drizzle each bowl with the aïoli, garnish with the scallions, and serve the toasted bread alongside.
- note
- When you buy mussels, or any shellfish for that matter, make sure you buy them in mesh bags-remember, these guys are alive and they need to breathe! They also need to stay cold, so don't be afraid to ask your fishmonger for a bag of ice to toss in your shopping bag. Scrub the mussels well and refrigerate them until you're ready to cook (but do not put them in a bowl of water!). If any shells are cracked or broken, toss them. The rule is: When in doubt, throw 'em out.
- note
- When it comes to cooking shellfish, the ones that don't open are the freshest-continue to cook them until they give it up!
STEAMED MUSSELS II
Less is more when it comes to cooking mussels! Use only fresh mussels, which are tightly closed when you buy them. If you can't find fresh mussels, make something else! Serve with slices of fresh crusty bread to soak up the delicious broth.
Provided by STEPHANO
Categories Seafood Shellfish Mussels
Time 25m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a medium stock pot, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent.
- Pour in wine and mussels. Raise heat to medium/high and steam mussels until shells open, about 5 minutes.
- Pour mussels and cooking liquid into a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 158.1 calories, Carbohydrate 5.4 g, Cholesterol 42 mg, Fat 6.6 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 10.7 g, SaturatedFat 3.7 g, Sodium 195.6 mg, Sugar 1.9 g
STEAMED MUSSELS WITH PEPPERS
Use the French bread to soak up the deliciously seasoned broth. If you like food zippy, add the jalapeno seeds. -Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 40m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Tap mussels; discard any that do not close. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute jalapeno in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the clam juice, wine, red pepper, green onions, oregano and bay leaf., Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add mussels. Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until mussels open. Discard bay leaf and any unopened mussels. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper. Serve with baguette slices if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 293 calories, Fat 12g fat (2g saturated fat), Cholesterol 65mg cholesterol, Sodium 931mg sodium, Carbohydrate 12g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 28g protein.
STEAMED MUSSELS I
Steps:
- Fill a large pot with mussels. Sprinkle chopped onions and garlic over the shellfish. Do not add water, as mussels produce all the water needed for steaming! Cook over high heat until most or all of the mussels open. Discard any that do not open.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 166.9 calories, Carbohydrate 7.7 g, Cholesterol 71.2 mg, Fat 2.1 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 27.4 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 393 mg, Sugar 3.7 g
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