Italian Mussels & Pasta
This combination of mussels with plenty of garlic, parsley, saffron and white wine was inspired by the Venetian soup zuppa di pesce, which is usually ladled over sliced crusty bread. Here we serve it over pasta. For a more elegant presentation, you can remove the mussels from their shells before serving...but then again, who wants to be elegant? Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- big pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons water or white wine
- 2 pounds mussels, cleaned (see tips)
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- big pinch of crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest