Spicy Pasta With Mussels Recipes

SPICY MUSSELS WITH MUSCLE AND LINGUINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Once the pasta water is at full rolling boil, season it liberally with salt and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.
• Meanwhile, heat a large pot or skillet with a lid over medium-high heat with EVOO, 3 turns of the pan. Add garlic and swirl a minute. Add dollops of 'nduja and melt it down (or add the sausage and brown and crumble). Add vermouth or wine and stir a minute. Add tomatoes, oregano and mussels and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, to open shells and combine flavors. Uncover.
• Drain pasta and toss with sauce and mussels, 1 minute. Add parsley, lemon and salt to taste.

MUSSELS IN SPICY RED SAUCE

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 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.

SPICY LINGUINE WITH CLAMS AND MUSSELS

Steps:

• Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the butter and parsley and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Sauce: In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, red pepper flakes, clams and mussels. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook until all the shellfish have opened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish.
• Using tongs, remove the shellfish from the pan and reserve. Season the cooking liquid with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour the shellfish cooking liquid over the pasta and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the reserved shellfish on top of the pasta and serve.

SPICY PASTA WITH MUSSELS

Steps:

• Sort through mussels and discard any that have opened. Rinse remaining mussels thoroughly and debeard. Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, 10-15 minutes. Rinse and halve chile lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs, and finely dice. Peel and finely chop garlic. Rinse parsley, shake dry, strip leaves from stems and finely chop.
• In a pan heat cook garlic and chile in hot oil, 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and 250 ml (approximately 1 cup) water. Season with salt and pepper and add mussels. Cook over high heat until mussels have opened, 8-10 minutes. Remove any mussels that have not opened. Set aside 16 mussels.
• Remove meat from remaining mussels and return to pan, along with drained pasta. Add parsley and toss briefly to combine. Divide pasta among 4 warmed plates and top each serving with 4 of the reserved mussels in their shells.

MUSSELS AND CLAMS WITH SPICY TOMATO BROTH

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.