Giada Mussels Marinara Recipes

SICILIAN MUSSELS MARINARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until the garlic is slightly softened, about 1 minute. Drain the tomatoes, reserving 1/2 cup juice; crush the tomatoes with your hands and set aside. Add the tomato juice and bay leaves to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Add the clam juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the liquid evaporates slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 12 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high. Remove the bay leaves and add the mussels to the sauce. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Add the spaghetti and parsley; toss to coat. Season with salt and drizzle with more olive oil.

MUSSELS MARINARA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until cooked. Add the wine and reduce it by half, then add the plum tomatoes, oregano and parsley. Add the mussels to the pan and allow to cook for about 10 minutes until all the mussels are open. Transfer mussels to a platter. (Discard any mussels that do not open.)
• You can mound some pasta in the center of the plate surrounded by the mussels or have some bruschetta handy for dipping into the sauce.
• Adjust the seasoning for the sauce with salt and pepper, as necessary. Coat the mussels with the sauce and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil just before serving.

GIADA'S MARINARA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent (about 10 mins).
• Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Saute until all veggies are soft (about 10 mins).
• Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens (about 1 hour).
• Remove and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Note: When serving with Kittencal's meatballs, I make the sauce the day before, bring it to a boil, drop in the meatballs, cover and cook according to Kittencal's directions. I like to serve this over Barilla's "thick spaghetti.".

MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND ITALIAN BEER

Steps:

• Heat a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. To the hot pan, add the shallots and fennel. Sweat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook another 2 minutes. Add the mussels and stir gently once or twice in order to coat in the oil. Add the beer and stir one more time. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. Stir in the butter and tarragon and season with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Serve with slices of crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

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.

MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.
• (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

MUSSELS MARINARA DI AMORE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute garlic until transparent.
• Add tomatoes, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes to skillet; reduce heat to low to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
• Add wine and mussels to skillet; cover and increase heat to high for 3 to 5 minutes or until mussel shells are open.
• Pour over hot pasta, sprinkle with parsley and squeeze lemon wedge over all. Garnish with remaining lemon and serve.

MUSSELS MARINARA

Steps:

• If using live mussels, dump into colander and rinse well.
• Any mussel that does not close (at least a little) when sprayed with water is no good and should be discarded.
• Remove any"beards" remaining.
• Put mussels into a heavy skillet and add tomatoes, oil, wine, garlic, and seasoning.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Mussels are done when the shells open up (discard any that remain shut).
• If using frozen mussels, cook until completely heated through.
• Serve over linguine with crusty bread to sop up the juice.
• Accompany with remaining wine and a salad.