In order to maintain the Italian theme, I went to the grocery store after a light lunch and some errand running. While there, I picked up bread ( a staple of any Italian themed dinner), fresh Mozzarella cheese, balsamic vinegar, basil, and mussels. I also picked up the ingredients for a put together tomato sauce that didn't need to roast overnight in the too hot oven.
Because sauce typically takes a long time, I determined it best to cook the mussels as a light appetizer, followed by a caprese salad, to finish with pasta and sauce. The recipes follow.
Mussels in White Wine
One habit that I frequently employ is searching far and wide for recipes, following a mixture of multiples, and then endlessly creating variations until I find what I like. Mussels are one of the easiest, quickest fine foods one can make.
I go to the seafood counter and order a pound or two, depending on how many I am serving.
Once home, thoroughly rinse the mussels, scrubbing off any debris. Here's a nifty 'how to' for cleaning and debearding mussels. Be sure to do this every time! Additionally, I check for "freshness" or to see if the mussels are alive. You want all of the shells to close very tightly, inspect them carefully. If you squeeze them and they reopen, toss it, this means the mussel inside is dead. You can also check this by a firm tap against a hard surface, the edge of the counter or sink top works just fine. Any that don't stay closed tight are duds, and you can discard them. Additionally, any mussel that doesn't open during cooking should also be discarded.
Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a large onion, finely chopped
1 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of finely chopped parsley
1/2 of a lemon (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of white wine (any white wine that you would drink is fine. I used a Riesling. Let me note here that I didn't actually measure the wine, I eye it until it "looks right" - I know, not terribly useful. 2 cups will work.)
Begin on by combining the garlic, onion, and olive oil over medium low heat. Cook these together for a few minutes, just until they start softening. Make sure the temperature is a little bit below medium, garlic burns very quickly and the goal here is to extract flavors - not to crisp your garlic.
Add the white wine, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil (basically to bring to temperature) and then reduce to a simmer until you've reduced the amount of wine by approximately half.
Add the mussels and a pinch of parsley, promptly put a tight fitting lid on the pan. I use a clear lid so that I can monitor the doneness of my mussels.
One can cook mussels to a few different stages. White are done, but on the very rare side. A light orangy tan is the right color to know when they are done. When all of the mussels are open and approximately this color, call it done. At approximately 5ish minutes they will turn white, 6ish minutes gets you orange. Any additional time after that and I would say you risk getting mussel erasers.
Put them into a serving dish, toss with a few squeezes of fresh lemon and the rest of the parsley, and then eat.
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| Digging into the mussels. We got excited before I could take the picture! |
Caparese Salad
This is a terribly simple salad, and based on plating and how many you are serving, its an easy treat for entertaining.
Ingredients
1 fresh tomato
1 ball of fresh mozarella
fresh basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
fresh cracked pepper
Slice your tomato and mozarella to be approximately the same width. I find that a quarter inch works best. Layer it onto a plate, starting with the mozarella, then tomato, then a fresh basil leaf. Repeat this pattern with a second tomato slice, mozarella slice, and basil leaf.
Drizzle lightly with a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Finish with cracked pepper.
Spaghetti Sauce
I will confess - I have my own sauce recipe. The recipe that follows it not it. This is my partner in crimes sauce, and as I've mentioned to him on multiple times, I am a terrible passenger. I have to frequently resist the urge to side seat drive, and cook. Which means when he starts up the stove, I normally have to leave.
I did have some input into this recipe, however, I can't say that he listened to me very much.
Ingredients
1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 stalk of celery, diced
a handful of baby carrots, diced
1/4 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of red wine
2 tbs of Italian seasoning
1 cup of water
1 tsp of sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbs of olive oil
Combine the olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic over medium heat in a hot sauce pan. Cook just until vegetables are translucent, approximately 6 minutes. Add the whole can of tomatoes and rinse out the can by filling it up about halfway, swishing the water around, and adding it to the sauce pot. Add the rest of the ingredients at this point. Bring the pot to a slow simmer. Cook over medium low heat, maintaining the simmer, until sauce reduces by approximately an inch and a half. (I argued for more reduction. I was shot down.)
At this point, remove the pot from the stove. CAREFULLY use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, to finely puree the sauce. I used the immersion blender by covering the pot with a towel and pulsing until the sauce was smooth.
Your sauce is done!
To serve the sauce, boil up spaghetti until al dente in a different pot of salty water. Reserve a small amount of the pasta cooking water. (I will typically snag about a cup and a half in a liquid measuring cup large enough for 2 and a half cups.. This way I have more than I need. I've too often forgotten all about this step, drained the pasta, and then been left with nothing.)
Heat up a skillet on the stove, add the noodles to the pan with enough sauce to coat, and then add a few bits of water. This requires NO MORE than 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water. This is a step where you have to eye ball it, you want the starch from the cooking water to be enough to thicken the sauce. Cook for a minute or two, and the spaghetti should absorb some sauce, while some liquid cooks off.
Serve your pasta. If you want to get really fancy, go ahead and chiffonade some basil on top along with a little bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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I've been informed that a traditional Italian meal consists of five courses - the antipasto, the pasta, the fish course, the meat course, and finally dessert. We had three of these five, out of order!
Too bad there is no gelato nearby, and the bakery with canolli is closed...
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