Recipe Review! Spicy Linguine with Clams and Mussels by Giada

Salam Ladies,

Sorry for the lengthy absence... I have no "good" excuse I suppose, just life going on as usual. Since I last wrote, my husband has graduated mashaAllah tabarak Allah :-)

Yesterday we stopped by Whole Foods and found mussels for about $5 per pound, so we picked up a pound and I made mussels today! Of the whole pound we lost four mussels (out of around 30) before cooking.

I decided to use a Spicy Linguine with Clams and Mussels recipe from foodnetwork by Giada De Laurentiis. MashaAllah it is a very simple and delicious recipe which I did tweak a bit for myself to make it healthier. You can find the original recipe at the link above and I will include my version below.

There are Shrimp because the dude was worried he wouldn't like the mussels :-P

Spicy Whole Wheat Vermicelli with Mussels
Serves 2
~400-450 Calories per serving

Ingredients
2 servings (4oz) of Whole Wheat Vermicelli or Thin Spaghetti (or your pasta of choice)
2 tsp butter
1/4 c parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

For Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbsp garlic paste (or 2-3 cloves garlic, minced)
2 c vegetable broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 small tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper
24 mussels
2 tsp cream

Method
1. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, drain, toss in butter, parsley, and salt/pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. For the sauce: Heat oil and saute onion until soft, season with salt/pepper. Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of broth plus the lemon juice and simmer on medium heat until reduced by half. Add the rest of the broth, plus the red pepper and tomato, simmer 1 minute. Add mussels and cover tightly with a lid. Let simmer for 5-8 minutes until the mussels open (throw away any that don't open).
3. Use tongs to remove mussels from the pot. Whisk the cream into the remaining sauce and simmer 1 minute until slightly thicker.
4. Pour sauce onto reserved pasta and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Arrange mussel shells on top of pasta and serve :-)

I love the recipe, it was very quick and easy and looks so rich and fancy when you are done with all the beautiful open shells on top of your pasta. Next time I get my hands on some mollusks I will probably attempt this again inshaAllah!

The Aftermath :-) Alhamdulillah