2 kg fresh mussels (less, if you want a higher pasta-mussel ratio; 2 kg is a lot of mussels)
1-3 c. of a rich liquid (fish stock, chicken stock, vegetable stock, white wine, or some combination of them all)
225 g tagliatelle, fetuccine or linguine
400 g canned chopped tomatoes
2 onions
2 cloves garlic (or more)
1 oz. butter (or olive oil)
1 t. vegetable oil
parsley (or similar suitable garnish)
salt and pepper, to taste
Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta.
Scrub and debeard the mussels, discarding any that aren't fully closed.
Prepare the cooking medium for the mussels.
Chop one of the onions fairly coarsely.
You could use some shallots instead if you prefer.
If you like garlic, chop up a clove or two.
Pick a pot or pan large enough to hold all your mussels.
Heat up the butter (or olive oil), then saute the onions and garlic.
Add the rich liquid.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Add the mussels, cover the pot and cook for somewhere between 3-6
minutes, shaking gently for even cooking, until most of the mussels are
cooked. You can tell when a mussel is cooked because it will (1)
be open, (2) look cooked (opaque) and (3) taste cooked (chewy, not
slimy). If some of the mussels don't open, discard them.
Strain the mussels, saving the liquid, transfer the mussels to a large
bowl and allow them to cool.
This recipe only requires half the saved liquid, so you can save the
rest for making another sauce or soup.
Shell half the mussels.
Start the pasta cooking, set a timer for however long the package
tells you to cook the pasta.
Make the sauce.
Chop the other onion and the garlic as finely as you can.
Saute them in the vegetable oil, pour in the tomatoes, bring to a boil,
simmer about ten minutes until the sauce thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Combine pasta, sauce and shelled mussels.
Serve garnished with parsley and unshelled mussels.
Parmesan cheese too, if you like it.
French bread not a bad idea, for mopping up sauce.