Before Dessert .....

Before eating that yummy pie we had Linguini with Mussels in a White Wine Sauce. This is the first time I have ever cooked with mussels so I did a little research before I started in order to be safe.

When cooking with Mussels:

1. Mussels need to be scrubbed, removing barnacles and tugging off the "beard".

2. If any of the mussels are already open and don't close when you tap them, discard them as they are dead and could be bad.

3. Inspect mussels that are unusually heavy, they may be full of sand when they open.


4. Rinse thoroughly several times before cooking as you really don't want a mouthful of grit.


So, I followed those suggestions and following recipe and dinner turned out great!!



EMERIL'S MUSSELS OVER LINGUINE

Ingredients needed:
2 dozen live mussels, scrubbed and debeared
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup fish stock or chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound fresh linguine, cooked al dente and tossed with olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Crusty french bread

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the shallots and garlic. Add the wine and stock. Bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the mussels to the wine and cover. Simmer the mussels for 3-4 minutes
or until the shells open. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drop the pasta into the boiling salted water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the water and drain. Add the pasta directly to the sauté pan. Divide the pasta between two bowls and spoon the mussels on top. Garnish with the grated cheese and parsley. Serve with the crusty bread.Yield: 2 servings