Mussels Fra Diavolo Recipe
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Category: |
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MUSSELS |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 3 - 5 lbs medium mussels (about 1 lb per person)
4 - 5 sliced Thai chili peppers
2 T freshly chopped parsley
2 cups Red Sauce or Fra Diavolo Sauce
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Directions: |
Directions:Mussels: Soak in a large bowl of cold water with 4 - 5 sliced Thai chili peppers for a few hours. (The heat of peppers causes the muscles to release their debris). Scrub each clean and put back in clean cold water. Discard any mussels that are open or do not close when gently tapped on the counter. |
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RED SAUCE |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 2 (28-oz) & 1 (14.5-oz) cans plum tomatoes in juice
6 T olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 head (about 12 medium cloves) garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium onions (about 12 oz), cut into ½-inch dice
2 medium carrots (about 8 oz), cut into ¼-inch dice
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
2 T tomato paste
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bottles of Clam Juice (1 for Red Sauce + 4 oz water; 1 for Fra Diavolo)
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Directions: |
Directions:1. Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and with your hands, crush the tomatoes so they breakup into a range of small pieces.
2. In a 5-qt Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it is fragrant, but before it smokes. Add the bay leaves and stir them in the oil until they begin to brown, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 -2 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the onions, carrots and oregano. Cook the vegetable until they are very brown, at least 40 - 60 minutes or more. Stir occasionally, just enough to prevent them from scorching. (Adjust times down if using gas...my stove is electric and these are the cooking times that work for me)
3. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt and pepper and 1 ½ cups of water, Clam Juice, or white wine (I use 8 oz bottle of Clam Juice + 4 oz water at this point as I typically turn it into Fra Diavolo with Muscles) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer (only a few tiny bubbles popping up), partially covered until the sauce level has reduced by 2 – 3 inches and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take 1 – 2 hours, depending on the simmering heat (the fewer the bubbles the longer it will take.) Stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Yield: about 2 quarts
(To save for use later: 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. The sauce will keep 10 days in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze 2 cups per sealed zip-lock baggie.) |
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FRA DIAVOLO SAUCE (Spicy) |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: (Using the recipe for Red Sauce, add the following to make a spicy “Fra Diavolo” sauce.)
3 T olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups Red Sauce
1 (8-oz) bottle clam juice
Kosher or sea salt
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Directions: |
Directions:1. Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat and sauté the garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown about 40 seconds.
2. Add 2 cups of 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.
TO COOK THE MUSSELS IN RED SAUCE or FRA DIAVOLO:
Place 2 cups of the sauce in a large saute pan 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. Replace the lid and 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 or skimmer. (Discard any mussels that have not opened.)
Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high.
Boil for a minute or two, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Pour the sauce over the mussels, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve with crispy bread and a great bottle of red!
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Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:1 lb Mussels per person |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:All day, but worth it! |
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