Steamed Mussels Or Clams With Saffron Tomatoes And Pancetta Recipes

STEAMED MUSSELS AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Scrub mussels and clams in cool water. Remove beards from mussels, and discard all broken or opened shells. Remove from water, and refrigerate until needed.
• Heat broiler or grill to medium-high heat. Brush bread slices with olive oil on both sides. Place on grill or under broiler for about 30 seconds on each side or until golden. While still hot, rub tops with cut side of garlic clove.
• Place a large stockpot on grill or stove over medium heat. Add butter. When melted and bubbling, add leeks, shallots, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and chile. Saute until leeks and shallots are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add white wine, and salt and pepper to taste; bring to a simmer. Add mussels and clams; cover; cook until shells open, about 7 minutes. Serve in a bowl with the croutons.

SIMPLE STEAMED CLAMS OR MUSSELS

Steps:

• Put the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the clams or mussels over medium heat. When hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, 5 minutes.
• Add the liquid along with the clams or mussels, turn the heat up to high, and cover the pot. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until they all (or nearly all) open, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Scoop the mussels into a serving bowl. Remove as many shallots as you can with a slotted spoon and scatter them on top. Pour or ladle off the accumulated liquid, leaving any sediment in the bottom of the pan, and pour it over the mussels. Garnish with parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Discard any with broken shells. Heat oil in a 6 to 8-quart stockpot. Saute the shallot, garlic and thyme to create a base flavor. Add the mussels and give them a good toss. Add wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and red pepper flakes; cover the pot and steam over medium-high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Toss in the tomato, parsley and butter, recover the pot, and steam for another minute to soften. The tomatoes should keep their shape. Serve with plenty of grilled garlic bread to sop up the broth.

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.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES, OUZO, AND CREAM

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5 minutes.
• Mix white wine, ouzo, and heavy cream into the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil, and salt.
• Cover saucepan, and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.

STEAMED CLAMS WITH BACON, TOMATO, AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to break down and sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes.
• Increase heat to moderately high, then add clams and bring to a boil, covered. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until clams just open wide, about 6 minutes (discard clams that do not open after 10 minutes). Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

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.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH SHERRY, TOMATOES AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy medium pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juices, whole onion, basil and 1 tablespoon oregano to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 1 hour. Remove onion and discard. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add parsley, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and 2 tablespoons oregano. Sauté until garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Stir in Sherry and tomato sauce. Add mussels and stir to coat. Cover and simmer until mussels open, about 5 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Using tongs, transfer mussels to large serving bowl. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle sauce over mussels and serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS IN SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy, three-quart saucepan. Add the onion, fennel and garlic, cover and sweat over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the saffron, tomato puree, wine, stock, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for one hour. Strain.
• Just before serving, reheat the tomato mixture to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover and steam until the mussels open, about 10 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, divide the mussels among four soup plates. Season the broth to taste with pepper flakes and pour over the mussels. Serve at once with saffron-aioli toasts.

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.

STEAMED CLAMS WITH SAFFRON AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Combine vinegar and saffron in large pot.
• Stir over medium-low heat until saffron begins to release its color, about 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes, shallots, garlic, then both oils.
• Add clams to mixture.
• Cover and cook over high heat until clams open, about 8 minutes; discard any clams that do not open.
• Using tongs, divide clams among 4 bowls.
• Mix parsley leaves into cooking liquid.
• Season to taste with salt.
• Ladle cooking liquid over clams and serve with toast.