In the Kitchen: Mussels Zuppa

In the kitchen today, we welcome Chef Anthony Chiero from Costantino’s Venda Bar & Ristorante making Mussels Zuppa.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil for sauteing
• ½ oz chopped garlic
• Small pinch of dry hot pepper seeds
• 6 grape tomatoes, sliced
• 15 Prince Edward Island mussels cleaned and debearded
• 3 oz white wine
• 2 oz clam juice
• 4 oz marinara sauce
• Pinch fresh chopped parsley
• 2-3 leaves sliced basil
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• Pinch of kosher salt and fine black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling and for bread
• 2- 1 inch thick slices of Venda’s “filoni” bread for crostini

Directions:

1. Make the crostini before cooking clams, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the filoni slices with extra virgin olive oil and toast in the oven until the outside of the bread is golden brown and has a crunch. For extra flavor, after removing from the oven, cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the crostini with the cut side of the garlic.
2. To begin mussels, add the sautéing oil, chopped garlic and hot pepper seeds to a 10 inch sauté pan and put on the range top over medium high heat. Allow garlic to sauté until it starts to become translucent. (Less than 2 minutes)
3. Add the tomatoes and mussels to the pan and continue to sauté over medium high. Allow about a minute for the tomatoes to cook in the oil
4. Add white wine and simmer for 30 seconds
5. Add clam juice and marinara and continue simmering until all the mussels have opened.
6. Add butter, parsley and basil. Swirl pan until butter has been incorporated and fully melted.
7. To serve, cut the crostini in half. Put one piece in the bottom of a bowl. Arrange the mussels around the crostini. Pour remaining sauce over the mussels and crostini. Garnish with remaining bread.