
Mussels and Brocolini in White Wine Sauce
This is one of my favorite Friday night meals. I like to pick up fresh mussels and brocolini at our co-op, cook them up while they’re fresh, and toss over linguine for an easy, light-tasting Friday night treat. Fresh mussels are closed. If you pick them up “fresh” and some of them are open, you need to discard the ones that have opened. Usually, the folks behind the counter are good at sorting through them and picking out any open shells. However, if you bring them home and plan to cook them within the following day or two, watch for open shells and discard. If one is partially open, you can tap it to test. If the shell closes, it’s still good to cook. If not, discard.
Other than that, the only thing you have to do is clean them and remove their “beards”. More info on this here. I found these easy-to-understand instructions on a site called Gourmet Greatix.
Ingredients
- 1/3 package of linguine (or enough for two light servings)
- 1 lb fresh mussels, picked through and cleaned
- 1 c brocolini, cut bite-size
- 1/2 c shredded carrots
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 2 Tbs chopped garlic
- 1/2 small sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbs cilantro
- 1 c dry white wine
- 1/4 c butter or margarine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Tbs capers
- 1/4 c shredded Asiago cheese
Directions
- Start a large pot of water boiling for the linguine and brocolini.
- Saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil until onion is softened.
- Stir in vinegar and cilantro (or any other seasoning you prefer)
- Stir in the mussels and saute for 2-3 minutes until the shells begin to open.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in vinegar and 2 Tbs of the cilantro.
- Pour wine over mussels and bring to a low boil.
- Add butter or margarine to the wine sauce and simmer until sauce thickened and pasta is done, stirring frequently.
- While the mussels simmer, place the pasta in the boiling water.
- After the pasta has boiled for about 4 minutes, add the brocolini and carrots to the water.
- Simmer pasta and vegetables for another 3 minutes. Remove and strain. Pour into a large pasta bowl and cover to keep warm.
- When the sauce has thickened a bit, pour mussels and sauce over linguine and vegetables and toss.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with capers, shredded cheese, and the remaining cilantro.
The sauce will still be pretty light and soupy. So, serve this in pasta bowls with crusty bread on the side for dipping. Colorful, light and tasty. One of my favorites. Serves two light meals.
If you’re treating someone who doesn’t like crustaceans, this will not cure them of that taste-ailment. However, if you know someone who loves mussels and pasta, this is sure to be a treat!