Spaghetti With Mussels And Bacon Food

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS AND CALABRIAN CHILES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil and the breadcrumbs in a small skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and transfer to a small bowl.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic in a separate large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chiles. Add the mussels and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes (discard any unopened mussels). Drain the mussels in a colander set over a large bowl. Pour the liquid back into the pot. Cover the mussels to keep warm.
• Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti to the pot with the mussel liquid. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing, until coated. Add some of the pasta cooking water, 1/4 cup at a time, if the pasta seems dry. Stir in the parsley and season with salt.
• Divide the pasta among bowls. Top with the mussels, breadcrumbs and basil; drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

PASTA WITH MUSSELS IN TOMATO SAUCE

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.

SPAGHETTI WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook spaghetti according to package directions for al dente., In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally; drain. Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil., Drain spaghetti; transfer to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Spread sauce over top. Bake, covered, 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS, TOMATOES AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil and re-served anchovy oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies, garlic, oregano and tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes; bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover; simmer until mussels open, about 5 minutes (discard any that do not open).
• Drain pasta; divide between 2 shallow bowls. Top with mussels and sauce.

BAKED MUSSELS WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
• Put mussels, pilsner and cream in a large pot, cover with a lid, bring to a boil and steam for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mussels have opened.
• Remove from heat and drain, reserving cooking liquid in a bowl and discarding any mussels whose shells remain closed.
• Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve, place in a pan and boil for 5 minutes or until thickened. Reserve for sauce.
• Remove mussels from shells, separate top and bottom halves of shells, discarding top halves. Reserve remaining shells and mussels separately.
• Melt butter over high heat in a large skillet. Sauté shallots, smoked bacon and mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until bacon is cooked and vegetables are soft.
• Combine vegetable mixture with reserved mussels, reduced cooking liquid and chopped parsley.
• Spoon mussels and mixture into reserved mussel shells. Place in a baking dish, top with grated cheese (at this point you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours until ready to serve) and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mussels are warmed through.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

MUSSELS STEAMED WITH CIDER & BACON

Steps:

• PREPARATION: Raw mussels MUST be alive when you cook them, so careful preparation is key. Wash them under cold running water until it runs clear, and scrub if necessary. Pull the 'beard' away from each individual mussel - this is the byssus thread, a protein the mussel 'spins' so it can attach itself to rock or rope. Drain and then check; if the shell is tightly shut, this is a good indication that it's alive. If the mussel is open, tap it sharply for a few seconds - if it is alive, it will close. Discard any that appear to be dead as they can decompose very rapidly, and eating one that you aren't sure of is not worth the risk. Don't check them too far in advance; cook within a few minutes to be on the safe side.
• Heat the butter in a pan large enough to easily fit the mussels, then fry the bacon for 4 mins, turning occasionally until it starts becoming crisp. Throw in the shallots and thyme leaves, then cook for 1 min until softened. Whack the heat up to maximum and add the mussels to the pan, then pour over the cider. Place the lid on the pan, give it a good shake, then cook the mussels for 5-7 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that haven't.
• Use a slotted spoon to scoop the mussels into bowls and place the pan back on the heat. Bring the juices to the boil and stir in the crème fraîche, if using. Pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve with hunks of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
• COOKING TIPS: Mussels are most often steamed open over a small amount of flavoured liquid, as in Moules marinière, although they can also be oven roasted and are particularly good cooked 'en papillote' (in a bag). Wine, stock, beer and cider are all great for cooking mussels, but take care not to add salt to the liquid as mussel juice can be very salty. Drop the mussels into the liquid, cover with a tight-fitting lid, then cook until they have opened and the meat has settled into one side of the shell; this usually takes 3-4 minutes. Avoid overcooking as the meat shrivels and becomes tough. Check them all again before serving and discard any that haven't opened. If a mussel is unopened at this stage, this indicates that it was already dead. You will probably notice the colour of the meat varies between beige and orange. This is an indication of sex - beige for male and orange for female; there is no difference in flavour. Once cooked, mussels are usually lifted into a bowl and the cooking liquor is reduced by simmering. Pull the meat from one shell and then use that shell as a pincer to remove meat from the rest. Serve simply with crusty bread - lovely!

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS, TOMATOES AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until 'al dente', stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil and re-served anchovy oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
• Add anchovies, garlic, oregano and tomato paste; stir 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes; bring to boil.
• Add mussels. Cover; simmer until mussels open, about 5 minutes (discard any that do not open).
• Drain pasta; divide between 2 shallow bowls.
• Top with mussels and sauce. Makes 2 servings (can be doubled).
• That's it!