We’re spoiled with our seafood options living on the West Coast. When we asked our executive chef Franz what he’d make at home with PPS’ house fennel sausage, it was a no brainer. A rustic bowl of mussels (or as we refer to them cozze con salcicca) , crusty bread and a bottle of Riesling. Buon Appetito!
Mussels & Clams:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 PPS house made sausage, crumbled
5 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup of white wine
1lb mussels, debearded, scrubbed
1lb clams, rinsed, scrubbed
To finish:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp chili flake
1 tbsp parsley
Salt & pepper, to taste
Bread, toasted and sliced
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, stirring often until softened, about 2 minutes. While the onion cooks, remove the casing from the PPS house sausage and crumbled into medium sized pieces. Add the garlic and sweat for 15 seconds, then the sausage and thyme. Stir until lightly browned, about 30 seconds.
Deglaze with white wine and add the mussels and clams. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Occasionally, with the lid still on, shake the contents of the pot in a circular motion to distribute the heat throughout the shellfish. Cook until the shells begin to open, 4-6 minutes.
To finish, stir in the butter and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. The natural salinity of the mussels and clams may be enough.
Ladle the shellfish into a large serving bowl, pouring the broth and sausage over top. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy with a good loaf of crusty bread.
