pasta w/ mussels

The finished product

I'm all about trying new things these days: new ingredients, new techniques, etc. I don't think I've ever cooked a mollusk before. Truth be told, I honestly didn't realize that mussels were alive when you bought them. While storing them in the fridge before cooking, half of them opened up. Which I knew was bad. Opened mussels = bad mussels. However! After running them under cold water, they all closed up again! It was kind of gross, kind of cool. I guess I'll have to deal with it if I ever intend to cook a live lobster (I want to try it, but I SO DO NOT at the same time). Anyways, keep them cool and rinse and scrub them before you proceed with the recipe. Toss any that stay open.

Regardless of your experience with mollusks, you should definitely try out this recipe. It's super delicious and makes for a great dinner party dish. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can chopped or whole tomatoes (you have to chop them anyways, so might as well by them that way) 
• 3 fat garlic cloves; 1 crushed, 2 minced 
• 1 shallot, chopped 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 2 pounds mussels, rinsed, scrubbed and beards removed 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or marjoram, or both 
• Pinch sugar 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 pound linguine or other pasta 
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley 

Go ahead and start boiling your pasta water. This all goes fast.

In a large saucepan, combine the crushed garlic, shallot and white wine. Bring to a boil and add in the mussels. Cover and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Check the mussels after 2 minutes, and remove any that have opened up. Check every minute or so until all mussels have been removed. Set the mussels aside in a bowl.

Drain the saucepan through a colander, retaining 1/2 cup of the liquid. Return the saucepan to medium heat and add the olive oil until heated, then add the minced garlic and red pepper. Cook until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, thyme (or whatever you've got) and sugar. Turn up to medium high heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. After the tomatoes break down, add the retained liquid from before and bring to a simmer. Add salt as desired.

Take half of the mussels out of their shells, then add all of them to the sauce. Turn the heat to low and cover until the pasta is done. Toss everything and serve!