Sardinian Mussels With Saffron Recipes

MUSSELS WITH SHERRY, SAFFRON, AND PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add Sherry, tomatoes with juice, paprika, and saffron; sprinkle with salt and generous amount of pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; boil gently 3 minutes to blend flavors. Add mussels and half of parsley; cover and cook until mussels open, about 3 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open). Stir in remaining parsley. Divide mussels and juices among bowls and serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH WINE AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge or vegetable brush, then debeard: grip the tough fibers extending from the shell and pull to remove. Discard beards.
• Steep saffron in wine for 10 minutes. (Saffron is soluble in water, not fat, so it won't release its color or flavor if added directly to the butter.) Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a shallow stockpot. Once it's foamy, add shallots, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until shallots are transparent and garlic is soft, about 3 minutes, stirring every so often to keep garlic from scorching. Pour in wine and saffron, then add tomatoes and return to a simmer, stirring once or twice.
• Add mussels and cover tightly. Cook until all mussels open, about 6 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. If using wild mussels, strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve to remove any sand, if necessary. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with parsley before ladling mussels and broth into bowls.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Put the mussels in a large bowl full of water with a large handful of ice and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Allow to mussels to sit in the liquid for 1 hour to disgorge any sand. Lift mussels out of bowl, leaving flour and sand behind. Scrub and debeard mussels. Discard any which are open and do not close when thumped on the counter.
• In a wide braising pan with high sides, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the stock (or wine or water, as you choose) and the saffron. Add mussels and tomatoes to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook until all the mussels are wide open, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any which fail to open.
• Take the pot off the heat, and stir in the cream. Serve.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON SAUCE

Steps:

• Steam mussels in wine until shells open. When cool enough to handle, remove mussels from shells and place in bowl. Cover with 1 cup of cooking liquid. Reserve enough half shells for number of mussels you have and refrigerate in plastic bag.
• In small bowl, using a whisk, beat egg yolk with vinegar and mustard. Season with generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Secure bowl on towel, potholder or rubber mat so it does not slide and, beating continuously, dribble in oil in thin stream. Mixture will gradually thicken to mayonnaise. If you are reluctant to make mayonnaise by hand you can use food processer but ingredients must be doubled for it to work, yielding twice as much mayonnaise as needed for recipe. Alternately, you can use 3/4 of cup of commercial mayonnaise.
• To make saffron seasoning, bring to boil 1/2 cup of cooking liquid that mussels were sitting in and pour 1 1/2 tablespoons over saffron in small dish. Allow saffron to steep for 15 minutes, then strain hot liquid into mayonnaise and mix well.
• Drain mussels well and mix with saffron mayonnaise. Just before serving, spoon mussel with sauce onto each half shell. You should have enough mussels to serve about 8 to each guest.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON BUTTER BROTH

Steps:

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the mussels, wine, saffron, and parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Give it a good stir, cover the pot, and cook until all the mussels open, about 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Transfer to a large bowl and serve with crusty bread.

MUSSELS IN SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan over moderate heat, and add 1/2 the onions, salt and pepper. Saute briskly until slightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook and additional minute, then add the white wine and reduce to half. Add thyme, saffron, clam juice or fish stock, and tomato juice and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve.
• Working in batches or in more than one pan, heat the remaining olive oil over high heat and add the remaining onion. Saute briefly, stirring occasionally, until onions are beginning to color, about 4 minutes. Add mussels to pan, keeping them in 1 layer, and saute 1 to 2 minutes, then add a proportionate amount of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce immediately to a simmer and cook, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until all the mussels are opened. Toss in parsley and serve on shallow soup plates with about a cup of broth per serving.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• Cut onion halves crosswise into less than 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer.
• Cook onion with saffron and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and bring to a boil, then stir in cream, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mussels. Cook, covered, checking after 6 minutes and transferring opened mussels to soup bowls with a slotted spoon. (Discard any that remain unopened after 8 minutes.)
• Stir parsley into broth and pour over mussels.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON AND SHERRY

Steps:

• Fill a sink with cold water and put the mussels in to soak. Put saffron into a 1/4-cup measuring cup, and fill with steaming-hot water.
• Place largest pan available (6 quarts or larger) over medium heat, and add oil, onion and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Saute gently until onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and use a fine Microplane grater to grate garlic into pan. (If a Microplane grater is not available, a garlic press may be used, but the mixture should be sauteed for 1 more minute.)
• Transfer mussels to a large colander, sorting through them and discarding any that are damaged or open.
• Return the pan to medium heat, and when the onion mixture begins to sizzle, add the saffron in its water, the sherry and 1 cup hot water. Add the mussels, cover, and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil and steam until the mussels have opened, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open.
• Transfer the mussels and pan liquid to one large bowl or two smaller bowls. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. If desired, serve with crusty bread.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• in a heavy pot with a lid heat olive oil.
• add onions, saffron, salt, stirring occasionally until onions are softened, 5-10 minutes.
• add wine and bring to a boil.
• stir in cream, pepper and mussels.
• cook, covered, until mussels start to open, 6-8 minutes.
• discard any unopened mussels, then stir parsley into finished dish.

SARDINIAN MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON

Steps:

• 1 Soak the saffron in the white wine for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the mussels in cold water for 30 minutes. Cut or pull off the beards. Discard any mussels with cracked shells or that do not close tightly when touched. 2 In a large saucepan, cook the onion in the oil over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the saffron, wine, and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Stir in the basil and parsley. 3 Add the mussels and cover the pan. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, about 5 minutes or until the mussels begin to open. 4 Transfer the opened mussels to individual serving bowls. Cook any mussels that remain closed a minute or two longer discard any that do not open. Simmer the liquid 1 minute more and pour it over the mussels. Serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.