Savory mussels with papparadelle

July 21, 9:58 PMOrlando Cooking ExaminerDawn Viola

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Savory mussels with papparadelle puts Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals to shame - it's such a quick and easy dinner to make - literally, from start to finish, you'll be done in 20 minutes. Use wide, but very thin Papparadelle noodles so they cook up quickly.

Papparadelle (you'll also see it as Papparadella) are super wide fettuccine noodles. Fresh Pappardelle (3/4-1 inch wide) typically has fluted edges. Dried egg pappardelle, what we've used in our recipe, has straight sides.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Papparadelle
1 slice, 1/4" thick pancetta
1/2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 large red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Zest from 2 lemons
2 tbs. butter
3/4 cup white Zinfandel
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 lbs. fresh mussels
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped tomato

Directions:
Place the mussels in a colander and rinse, removing any beards or dirt from the shells. Tap shells of any open mussels. Discard if they do not close or if shells are broken.

Fill a stock pot with water, add a few generous pinches of salt to the water (it should taste like sea water). Bring to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, dice the pancetta and saute on medium heat in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, with 1/2 tbs. of olive oil, until crispy. Be sure the sauce pan is large enough to hold all of the mussels (to be added soon).

Add onion and cook until just translucent. Add garlic and stir - adjust heat so garlic does not burn. Add the wine and chicken broth, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and butter. Allow the butter to melt. Stir to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the mussels and cover. By now, your water should be at a rolling boil. Add the Papparadelle, which should be al dente in 1-3 minutes, depending on how thick the noodles are. Turn the heat off on the mussels, but do not remove the lid. Drain the cooked Papparadelle and place in a large, shallow bowl. Pour the pot of mussels with liquid over the Papparadelle, discarding any mussels that did not open. Add diced tomatoes and more parsley if desired.

Neat things you should know:

• Mussels or moules are the national dish of Belgium and are in season from September to February. In Belgium, mussels are often served with fresh herbs and flavorful vegetables in a stock of butter and white wine. Frites/Frieten and Belgian beer are popular accompaniments. Months with an "R" in their name (September to April) are said to be the "in" season for mussels.
• A famous Irish Folklore claims the ghost of Molly Malone, a fishmonger's daughter, haunts Dublin with her wheel barrow chanting, "Cockles and mussels." The earliest known printed version of the Cockles and Mussles folklore was published in London in 1884 by Francis Brothers and Day. And the song, "Cockles and Mussels," written and composed by James Yorkston of Scotland and arranged by Edmund Forman, is considered the unofficial anthem of Dublin.
• Mussels can live for up to 50 years, although cultured ones are harvested at around 28 months.
• You can tell the difference between wild and cultured mussels by looking for the dull bluish color, white erosion marks and attached barnacles of the former. Cultured mussels have shiny blue-black shells.
• Mussels from Brussels refers to the mollusks we eat. Muscles from Brussels refers to 80's martial artist/actor Jean-Claude Van Damme.