MUSSELS AND CLAMS WITH SPICY TOMATO BROTH
A spicy, brothy bowl of mussels and clams is at home in any season. Serve it with thick slices of crusty baguette, toasted and rubbed with raw garlic, for a sensational, simple meal any day of the week. This broth gets its heat from both fresh red peppers like Fresno or serrano chiles, and a dose of pinched red pepper flakes. You control the heat by what kind of pepper you choose - Fresno for subtle heat or serrano for a spicier edge. The wine, however, is not optional. Pinot grigio, both for cooking and drinking, is this broth's best bet.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 55m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper and cook until the garlic is tender and the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the tomatoes with juices, crushing the tomatoes through your fingers, and the chiles. Simmer until the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
- 2. Preheat the broiler. Add the broth and simmer,10 minutes. Meanwhile, brush the bread generously with olive oil and toast under the broiler, about 20 seconds per side. Remove and rub vigorously with 1 clove raw garlic.
- 3. Stir in the clams. Cover and cook, about 8 minutes. Add the mussels, give the pot a good stir, cover, and continue cooking until all the mussels and clams open, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4. Divide the mixture among 4 bowls, discarding any unopened shellfish. Garnish with parsley and serve with the toasted bread.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 517, Fat 17.5 grams, SaturatedFat 2.5 grams, Cholesterol 144 milligrams, Sodium 1518 milligrams, Carbohydrate 27 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 60 grams
MUSSELS IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
This dish can wear many hats. As is, it makes a light appetizer. Served with a zoccolo (fried bread "clog"-see the recipe that follows), it becomes a more substantial main course. Or you can prepare the mussels as described and toss them with freshly cooked linguine. This recipe will make enough sauce for a pound of linguine-six generous servings.
Yield makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- To purge mussels of their grit, stir the cornmeal into 3 quarts of water, add the mussels, and let them soak, shaking them up once or twice, for 1 hour. Drain completely, scrub the shells well, and, if necessary, remove the wiry "beard" protruding from the shell by tugging firmly with your fingers.
- Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 3 minutes. Slide the tomatoes into the skillet and stir in the oregano and red pepper. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 5 minutes. Stir the mussels into the skillet, then pour in the wine. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and cook just until the mussels are opened, about 3 minutes for cultivated mussels, slightly longer for thicker-shelled noncultivated mussels. Stir in the basil and, if you like, a generous drizzle of olive oil. Check the seasoning and add a little salt if necessary.
- Discard any mussels with unopened shells. Divide the mussels among warmed serving bowls, topping each serving with a zoccolo, if you like.
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.
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