A few night's ago the man of the house decided to get a surprise dinner ready while I was out doing back to school errands with the girls. I came home to find mussels sitting on ice, a jar of old bay seasoning, a bottle of white wine and some cooked spaghetti.
A slightly perplexed man was standing over these ingredients, eager to make us dinner, but not too sure how to go about it.
So as a team we concocted a very satisfying dish. I do realize that this is a pretty unoriginal recipe, but it was very foreign and new to us!
On a side note, I would like you all to know there IS cinnamon in Old Bay Seasoning (I called the 1 800 number on the back and spoke with a very nice customer service representative), so if you would like to have me over for dinner Old Bay is OUT!
Here is the recipe for Mussels alla Mandy Noodle and Eddie Spaghetti
1 lb mussels, rinsed, debearded and stored over ice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 white onion, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh parsley, chopped
splish splash o' white wine
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 lemon
sea salt and pepper
crusty french bread
shaved parm if needed!
handful of whole wheat spaghetti noodles, and a handful of semolina spaghetti noodles
1. Cook pasta as directed on package, I always start with the whole wheat pasta, let it cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the regular pasta. I mix the 2 pasta's because I really am not a fan of whole wheat pasta, it tastes very wheaty to me and I would rather enjoy my meal than get some extra fiber. But I do like the chewy texture of the pasta, I find mixing the 2 makes a very satisfying texture/ flavor combo.
#1.5. Put the crusty french bread in the oven to warm
2. In a Big Ol' saute pan heat a few big glugs of olive oil in the pan, add the garlic, onion, and mussels, saute over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until veggies start to soften.
3. Add about 1/2 cup of white wine to the pan and bring to a simmer, add the can of tomatoes, and cover. Let simmer until all the mussels have opened. If some of the mussels fail to open DO NOT PRY THEM OPEN, THROW THEM IN THE TRASH, THEY ARE DEAD AND COULD CONTAIN HARMFUL BACTERIA.
4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, squeeze the half of lemon over the top, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
5. Serve over the noodles, with a big chunk of crusty bread to soak up the yummy juices.
Note: Eddie made hamburgers for the girls, as that was easier than forcing mussels down there throats.
My next post will be a kid post!
