Roasted Red Pepper Mussels with Linguine

Now that I'm back from an amazingly relaxing July 4th in the Catskills, I'll try to get up to speed with this whole blog thing.

Last week was attempt #2 with mussels. Attempt #1 was a complete failure after I was sold bad mussels at a local grocery store which will remain unnamed. They were all already opened and smelled like the Long Island Sound during those hot summer low tides. Not good.

This time, I didn't take any chances and stopped at Cameron's seafood on Rockville Pike near my office. I bought a pound of mussels for $4.99, not too shabby! Mussels should either be closed or if slightly opened, when tapped against something, they should close back up. In other words, they should still be alive when you buy them. They should smell like the ocean but in a good way, not in a dead-fish kind of way. I debearded them and soaked them in cold water while I prepared the rest of the meal. Mussels may have a hairy clump (beard) sticking out the side; all you do is grab hold of it and tear but be careful not to rip out the whole animal. It should come off relatively easily. They are very easy too cook: just throw in your broth of choice (so many recipes out there!) and steam until they open. Mussels that do not open should be tossed.

For this meal, I cooked them in a roasted red pepper tomato sauce and served with linguine.

Mussels and Linguine in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

from Rachel Ray

1 lb linguine, cooked al dente

12-16 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and pureed in a food processor

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes (I found them at Trader Joe's)

fresh ground pepper

36 mussels, debearded (1 - 2 lbs, depending on mussel size)

fresh basil

freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute for about 5 minutes, until onions soften a bit. Add the wine and reduce by about half, then add the red peppers and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper then stir to combine. Add the mussels; reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer until the shells open, about 5 minutes.

Serve mussels over or alongside linguine. Pour sauce over mussels and linguine; garnish with basil and freshly-grated Parmesan.

I ended up needing some extra sauce so I simmered another can of roasted tomatoes with a chopped fresh tomato, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, red pepper flakes, some italian seasonings, and fresh basil.