Made-Up Mussels

Wow, this weekend was jam-packed with fun! Today, our last day of the long weekend, was spent in the beautiful weather of early September in Massachusetts. The leaves are beginning to change color, but the sun still beats down and makes for pretty warm days. We decided to get take-out omelets from a local establishment and enjoy them in a park near our home. We even brought Oia's breakfast too...and she sat by the bench, enjoying the weather and a nice outdoor meal with us.

Once we were fed, we drove to meet friends for a hike with them and their dogs. Six miles later, the puppies were exhausted, we were on our last legs, and ready for a nice cool drink! By the time we got home this evening, I wasn't in the mood to make anything elaborate, but I did have a bag of mussels that I really needed to use! I scanned my fridge for what I could make and I came up with a pretty delicious recipe...and I made it up...I didn't crack a single cookbook tonight! This might be the first recipe in what could be MY cookbook! :)

Okay, so, I took the bag of mussels out, discarded the ones that didn't close when tapped, and debearded the rest so they were ready to steam. I minced two garlic cloves and sauteed them in a tablespoon of butter until fragrant, and then added the leftover sausage mixture from those stuffed olives I made yesterday! That was just some sausage, taken out of its casing, with some salt, minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Once the sausage was cooked, I poured in about a cup of white wine and allowed it to come to a boil. Right before I added the mussels, I added a second pat of butter so that as the mussels steamed, the sauce thickened a bit and got a nice sheen to it. After about 5 minutes (or when all your mussels are fully opened), throw in a big handful of baby arugula and allow it to wilt slightly.

I served it over some spinach fettuccine. Just scoop the mussels, along with the broth, over the top of the plain pasta and it will seep throughout the plate to coat the noodles. It was a garlicky plate of goodness, and the red pepper flakes from the sausage mixture went a long way to add a nice kick to the flavors! Dinner in 15 minutes? Totally doable!