Spaghetti With Mussels Lemon And Shallots Food

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS, LEMON, AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta water.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat; saute shallots, red-pepper flakes, and parsley stems until tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid is reduced by one-third, about 2 minutes. Add mussels, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam until they open, 5 to 6 minutes; discard any that do not open after 6 minutes.
• Add pasta to mussels, tossing until well combined. Add pasta water, and continue to toss and cook over medium-high heat until sauce has reduced and coats pasta. Stir in parsley leaves and lemon zest and juice. Stir in remaining oil, and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and shallots and cook until the bacon starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and red pepper flakes, increase the heat to high and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands, and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs; drain. Pile the parsley, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt on a cutting board and use a large knife to mince and mash them together.
• Add the mussels to the tomato sauce and stir to coat, then cover. As the mussels open (2 to 6 minutes), use tongs to transfer them to a bowl; discard any that do not open. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the parsley-garlic mixture and toss. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the mussels.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH WHITE WINE, TARRAGON, SHALLOTS, BUTTER, AND GRILLED FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to high. Sprinkle garlic with a pinch of salt and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the garlic to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a stockpot on the grates of the grill, add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften. Add the wine, bring to a boil and stir in the mussels. Cover the pot and cook the mussels until all of them have opened, about 6 to 8 minutes, discard any that do not open.
• Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tarragon. Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with grilled bread.
• Brush cut side of baguette with oil, season with salt and pepper and grill, cut side down until lightly golden brown.

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC MUSSELS IN BLACK OLIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a saucepan set over medium heat cook the wine and shallots until the liquid reduces by half. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
• Place the kalamata olives, oil-cured olives, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until just smooth, but still a little chunky.
• Combine the cream sauce and olive sauce.
• For the mussels: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook the garlic in the olive oil until just brown. Add the paprika and pepper flakes. Add the mussels. Add the wine and cook to reduce by half. Add the lemon juice, then cover and cook until the mussels open. Throw away any mussels that don't open. Reserve the mussels and cooking liquid for later use.
• While the mussels cook, boil the pasta to al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Stir in the butter, parsley and oregano. Toss the spaghetti with the olive sauce, and then spoon some mussels on top with some of the cooking liquid and serve.

PASTA WITH SPICY MUSSELS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• The following step is optional, but it works really well.
• After you’ve given the mussels a quick scrub and pulled off any of the beards, place them in a large bowl filled with cold water and several ice cubes.
• Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the water, toss in the squeezed halves, and add the heaping tsp of salt.
• Allow mussels to sit for about ½ an hour, and they will “spit” out any sand or other stuff that might be inside their shells.
• (This is an old Neapolitan trick my husband’s mother used for all shellfish).
• After about ½ hour, drain mussels, give then a quick rinse under come running cold water and set aside while you make the broth.
• Preheat large skillet over medium heat, and add olive oil.
• Next add the minced shallots, and sauté for a minute or two.
• Add the sliced garlic, and crushed red pepper to taste, and sauté for another minute, careful not to let the garlic get too brown.
• Slowly add the fish stock.
• (If using wine and stock, add the wine first, bring it up to a boil and then add the fish stock) Let the stock simmer for a few minutes with the shallot and garlic, and then add the diced tomatoes.
• When sauce comes to a boil, add the mussels to the pan, give then a quick toss, and put the lid on and let stem for about 3-5 minutes.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes, or until done to your liking.
• When mussels have all opened, turn off the heat, give them another stir to get all the liquid up from the bottom, add the fresh basil and put the lid back until the pasta is finished.
• Drain pasta.
• To Serve: Unless you have an enormous pasta-serving bowl, here’s what I suggest.
• Add a couple ladles of the cooking broth in the bottom of your serving bowl and add about half of the pasta.
• Scoop out about half of the mussels with broth and lay over top the pasta until bowl is filled.
• Add the remaining pasta back into the skillet with the rest of the broth and mussels.

CHORIZO LINGUINI WITH MUSSELS AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Chorizo -- In a very large saute pot heat to medium / medium high and add the olive oil and chorizo. Sauté until the chorizo is done and make sure to break it up as it cooks. It should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
• Vegetables -- After you remove the chorizo, reserve just 1 teaspoon of the drippings to cook your vegetables inches The rest, please discard. Add the shallots, garlic and fennel and cook 3-4 minutes, just until slightly tender and has absorbed the flavors from the chorizo.
• Sauce -- Then to the same pot, add the wine to deglaze and cook just a minute. Then add in the chicken broth, tomatoes, the chorizo, salt and pepper and simmer 3-4 minutes.
• Seafood -- To the rich tomato broth, add the mussels (don't forget, if the mussels are not closed, tap on the counter, if they don't close -- toss them out, they are bad), and cook until half way about 4 minutes. Then add the shrimp on top but make sure they are submerged in the broth, and cook another 3-4 minutes until they turn pink and begin to curl. Don't overcook.
• Pasta -- As the seafood broth cooks, cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Finish -- Once the pasta is done, drain and toss with the seafood broth, cilantro (save some for a garnish), parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper (to taste).
• NOTE: Go easy on the salt, mussels have a salty sea taste as does the chicken broth and tomato sauce, so taste as you go. You can always add more at the end of cooking.
• Serve -- In a large bowl so you get plenty of the sauce - Good crusty grilled bread, topped with a little store bought pesto or with my anchovy butter to dip with the mussels and shrimp. Absolutely Heavenly!
• Garnish with some fresh lemon wedges or lemon slices if you like.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. When almost smoking, add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until the garlic is golden brown and the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes (being careful not to burn the garlic). Add the clams, wine, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until most of the clams have opened, about 6 minutes (discard any shellfish that do not open). Whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce slightly.
• Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Do not rinse the spaghetti with water; you want to retain the natural starches that help the sauce adhere to the spaghetti. Toss the spaghetti with the clam mixture in the pan to coat. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten.
• Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the pasta. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.