Spaghetti with Mussels and Tomato Sauce

Truth be told, pairing food and wine is one of the greatest culinary pleasures. And one of my favorite pairings is a crisp, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc with muscles in a tomato sauce.

For the Mussels:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)

1 shallot finely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1/2 cup white wine

2 pounds medium mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves for garnish

For the Tomato Sauce:

1 (28 ounces) can of crushed peeled tomatoes

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 Sprig fresh oregano

6 medium cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoon sea salt

1 box of linguine

THEN;

For the mussels

-Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta.

-In a large saucepan with lid, combine crushed garlic, shallot and olive oil. Cook on low heat until it starts to soften. Then add the white wine and combine until wine starts to boil before adding mussels. Cover and cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until mussels open up. Transfer open mussels to a bowl using tongs.

-Remove half the cooked mussels from the shells and leave other half intact.

For tomato sauce
-Add 6 teaspoons olive oil to the pan with remaining mussel juices and bring to a boil on low heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for a few minutes until garlic softens. Add tomatoes, fresh oregano, tomato paste and salt.

-Turn heat up to medium and cook, stirring often, 10 -20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

-Add cooked mussels, shelled and unshelled, into sauce, stir and cover to simmer on low heat.

-Add 2 tbsp of salt and linguine to boiling pot of water. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

-Scoop cooked pasta onto mussels and tomato sauce and combine. Add a 1/4 cup of pasta water to sauce pan and stir pasta mussels and linguine together.

-Serve in the sauce pan or in a large bowl. Finish with fresh chopped parsley.