Indulge in the delectable flavors of mussels prepared in a spicy tomato sauce, a culinary masterpiece inspired by the renowned chef, Lidia Bastianich. This tantalizing dish combines the briny sweetness of mussels with a vibrant and aromatic tomato sauce, creating a harmonious balance of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.
The recipe presents two variations - one featuring white wine and one with tomato juice, catering to different preferences. Both versions promise a symphony of flavors, with the white wine adding a touch of acidity and depth, while the tomato juice infuses a rich and tangy tomato flavor.
Accompanying the mussel recipes is a delightful array of side dishes that perfectly complement the main course. Choose from a refreshing tomato salad with cucumber and mint, a classic grilled polenta with a hint of rosemary, or a flavorful sautéed spinach with garlic and lemon zest. These accompaniments provide a range of textures and flavors, enhancing the overall dining experience.
Whether you're a seafood enthusiast or simply seeking a delectable culinary adventure, this collection of recipes promises to satisfy your cravings. Prepare to embark on a taste journey that celebrates the beauty of fresh mussels and the vibrant flavors of a spicy tomato sauce.
MUSSELS-SPICY TOMATO SAUCE FROM LIDIA RECIPE - (4/5)
Provided by [email protected]
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- To purge the mussels of their grit, stir the cornmeal into 4 quarts of cold water, add the mussels, and let them soak, shaking them up once of twice, for 1 hour. Drain and scrub them with a stiff brush. Scrape off any barnacles or seaweed. Discard any mussels with cracked shells or that do not shut tightly when tapped. Remove the beards by pulling them toward the narrow end of the shells. In a large saucepan, cook the chopped garlic, parsley, and peperoncino in the olive oil over low heat until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Slide the tomatoes into the skillet, stir in the oregano and pereroncino. 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 5-8 minutes. 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 that do not open. Divide the mussels among warmed serving bowls, topping each serving with a zoccolo. Zoccolo recipe is under Zoccolo. Serves 4-5
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.
PASTA WITH MUSSELS IN TOMATO SAUCE
Semolina linguine is a traditional and wonderful pasta to use. But you can make the dish with whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta; both are getting better and better. Look for a flat noodle like tagliatelle, fettuccine or linguine. If you use whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta, make sure not to overcook it. My rule of thumb is to check for doneness a minute before the suggested cooking time on the package; noodles should be cooked al dente.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, lunch, pastas, main course
Time 50m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Pulse tomatoes with juices in food processor just a few times to break down into a coarse purée; set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta.
- Meanwhile, in a wide skillet or saucepan with lid, combine crushed garlic clove and shallot with white wine. Bring to a boil and add mussels. Cover and cook, shaking pan from time to time, 2 to 4 minutes, or until mussels open up. Check mussels after 2 minutes; transfer open mussels to a bowl using tongs. Cover pan again, wait another minute, and repeat until all mussels have opened.
- Leave mussels to cool in bowl until easily removed from shells. Remove half from shells and leave other half intact. Taste a mussel; if it is sandy, give them all a very quick rinse and drain in a colander. Transfer to a bowl and keep covered while you make tomato sauce.
- Place a strainer over another bowl, line with cheesecloth and strain the liquid in the pan into bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup. Rinse and dry pan.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in pan and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add tomatoes, thyme or marjoram (or both), and sugar.
- Turn heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring often, 5 to 10 minutes, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add 1/2 cup broth from mussels, stir together and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt as needed (you may not need to add any). Tip all mussels, shelled and unshelled, into sauce, cover and turn heat to very low or remove from heat if not serving right away. Keep warm while you cook pasta.
- Warm a large bowl for the pasta. When water for pasta comes to a rolling boil, salt generously and add pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions on the package. Drain and toss in the warm bowl with tomato sauce, mussels and parsley. Serve right away.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 626, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 80 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 40 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 1095 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams
STUFFED MUSSELS IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
Stuffed mussels is a favorite throughout Italy. In Tuscany alone there are at least three traditional dishes to my knowledge. This is how they cook 'em up in Livorno. See the video for this recipe at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Hs-RczKLo
Provided by alfrescoacsi
Categories Mussels
Time 1h45m
Yield 24 stuffed mussels, 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Beard and clean mussels.
- Open mussels over bowl to collect liquid. Set aside.
- Cut stale bread up into cubes, place in bowl and moisten with broth. Let stand till bread has softened.
- Squeeze bread well of all liquid. Mix all the stuffing ingredients well in a bowl.
- Stuff mussels placing a heaping tablespoon of the stuffing on an open shell, press the two shells shut and wipe off the stuffing that squishes out.
- Make the tomato sauce: Sauté garlic, chili pepper and parsley in the oil over medium heat (do not let garlic brown). Add the crushed peeled tomatoes, stir and then add the mussel juice you've kept aside. Let sauce simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Gently place mussels into pan, cover and let mussels stew for about half an hour or until stuffing has cooked through.
- Serve and garnish with a sprinkling of parsley.
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.
Tips:
- Choose the freshest mussels possible. Look for mussels that are tightly closed and have no cracks or chips in their shells.
- Clean the mussels thoroughly. Use a stiff brush to scrub off any dirt or debris from the shells. Remove the beards by pulling them out with your fingers.
- Use a large pot to cook the mussels. This will help to prevent them from overcrowding and ensure that they cook evenly.
- Do not overcook the mussels. Mussels only take a few minutes to cook, so be careful not to overcook them or they will become tough and chewy.
- Serve the mussels immediately. Mussels are best served hot, so make sure to serve them as soon as they are cooked.
Conclusion:
Mussels in spicy tomato sauce is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful and satisfying dish that the whole family will love. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy seafood dish, give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!
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