Black Spaghetti With Mussels Recipes

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.

SPAGHETTI ALLA VODKA WITH MUSSELS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the vodka. Add the mussels, cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open). Remove from the heat; keep the pot covered.
• Meanwhile, after adding the cream to the tomato sauce, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Add the spaghetti to the pot with the mussels, along with 1/4 cup cooking water. Cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, if the sauce seems too thick, until the spaghetti is well coated. Season with salt.
• Divide the spaghetti and mussels among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with the parsley and more red pepper flakes.

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS

Steps:

• If you use the fresh mussels just bought from the fish monger - or the counter of the supermarket cool - let them clean it directly from them. When you are at home, I recommend you to check yourself again, something can escape and wash them again.
• Boil the water (not salted) for spaghetti.
• In a large pan put the peeled crushed clove of garlic and add three spoons of EVOO and brown the garlic.
• Remove the garlic and put the mussels together with some minced parsley, cover with a lid and let open them (it will take only a few minutes).
• As soon as they are open, turn off the flame.
• Remove the mussels from the shell and set them aside with a little of their water (you can keep them off with the shell to put it on the pasta). Filter the mussels baking liquid with a narrow mesh strainer to remove any impurities.
• Put the liquid back in the pan and turn on the flame only for a few minutes before draining the spaghetti directly into the liquid. This is the most important step: put the spaghetti in boiling water without salt, or just with a pinch, and cook for about 7/8 minutes.
• Take spaghetti from the water with a fork and transfer it to the pan with the mussel liquid where you will finish the cooking by adding, if necessary, cooking water to the spaghetti.
• When you miss 1 minute at the end of the cooking, join the mussels, the chopped parsley and a generous black ground pepper.