Tonight we prepared the Maccheroni alla Chitarra - Black Spaghetti with Mussels, Chiles and Mint (page 212). I knew that Mariesa would not be a fan, but this has always been on my list of "must try" dishes. The recipe was very simple and had the added quirkiness of utilizing black pasta, something we never had.
Mario and I sorted through the mussels and discarded the ones with cracked shells and the ones that were no longer alive. We soaked them in cool salt water for about half an hour (allowing the mussels to rinse out whatever sand they still might have) then rinsed. Mario scrubbed and debearded the 2lbs of mussels while I cut the red onion and started to heat the pan with EVOO.
In no time the onions were softened and we added the dry white wine, red pepper flakes, mussels and tomato sauce to the pan, all the while adding the black pasta to the boiling water. Within minutes we drained the pasta and added it to the pan with the mint leaves. We quickly plated our dishes and sat down to eat!
Angela and I called it "simply delicious", and to our dismay, Mario did not find the texture of the mussels to his liking. To which Mariesa added, "if he doesn't like it what makes you think I will like it!" Mario felt badly about his reaction to which we responded "no worries". This journey is about exploring new flavors and experiences and he has been very adventurous in exposing his palette. The Captain and I could not have asked for a better shipmate!
Ciao,
Mario & Mario
The Three Tocayos
