Treat of the Day - Simple Linguini with Mussels

I love pasta with seafood.  If I see linguine ai frutti di mare on the menu at an Italian restaurant, I order it almost every time.  I don't often buy mussels even though I love them.  They are one of those things that I love but don't crave for on a day to day basis.  Today, though, I saw them at the neighborhood market and they looked so fresh and tasty that I felt I could hear them screaming at me to take them home.  So I did!

This dish is fairly simple and quick to make.  The most important thing is good fresh mussels; if you have them, you are good to go.  If you want to treat someone to something special but don't have a ton of time to cook, I recommend this!

  I also made another dish with mussels that my mom makes all the time, which will be posted next!

Enjoy your weekend  :))

Recipe: serves 2 people

a handful of linguini
a dozen medium size mussels
1 big or 2 small shallots
3  slices of pancetta or 3 strips of bacon
2 cloves of garlic
1 stem of green onion (optional)
some fresh oregano (optional)
1 cup of dry white wine
2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 lemon



Fill a large deep pan with plenty of water. Bring the water to boil with a table spoon of salt on high heat.  After it boils, lower to medium high heat, drop in a handful of dried linguini and stir to make sure that they are not sticking together.  Cook for about 10 minutes. Stir a couple of times while it is cooking.

While the pasta is cooking, finely dice shallots and garlic.  Cut pancetta or bacon into small pieces.  Heat up a frying pan with 2 table spoons of olive oil and satay garlic, shallots and pancetta on medium high heat until they are cooked for about 3-5 minutes.  Add rinsed mussels and a cup of white wine. Put a pinch of salt, pepper and oregano in and simmer for a few minutes with the lid on.

Drain the pasta in a colander, but make sure to save about a cup of pasta water.  Add linguini to the frying pan and pour in pasta water as needed to get a nice broth. Add juice of half a lemon. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle some chopped green onions, lemon zest and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Drizzle some olive oil to finish.