Pasta & Pole Vaulters

I was g-chatting with my brother earlier this morning about my blog and how far behind I was in writing new posts.  Then I suggested that he be my first guest blogger on here!!!  Here's his post on homemade Pasta in a Mussel Saffron Ragout.  Sadly I didn't try it because he's stationed right now in the UK, but from the looks and sounds of it, it was amaaaaazing! 

Pasta in a Mussel Saffron Ragout 

by Lt. Kenneth D. Jew

Reporting from Harrogate, United Kingdom

Well hello everyone!  As suggested by my baby sis, I am writing my first blog entry based on my cuisine experience in merry ole England.  Do the English get a bad rap when it comes to food?  Yep.  Can’t blame them.  The landscape makes it difficult to grow fresh veggies and the lamb/sheep dominate the meat-scape.  Fresh fish? Don’t have that either unless you are one of the few braving the cold weather along the rugged coastline.

Yet the UK does provide some delicacies in all food categories.  Scottish mussels for example are fantastic!  So I’ve taken this ingredient and tried to come up with a pasta dish a true Italian can be proud of.  First, stopping by the local Waitrose store, I picked up some tomatoes, garlic and onions grown out of France.  Other random items I bought include a 5oz can of tomato paste and veal stock.   Grabbed some basil (from unknown region) and some saffron strands (very expensive mind you but changes delicious to heavenly).  Along the pasta isle, I picked up some Italian made pasta (it said on the package it was made in Italy) and a bottle of red wine from Spain.

 

[Watching the Olympics right now and female pole vaulters are hot!]

First, the simple sauce!  I started out by browning chopped onions in a pan over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil.  In a little bit of hot water, I added several saffron strands and set aside.  In the pan I then added chopped garlic and roughly chopped tomatoes.  After the tomatoes became soft, I added the stock, saffron soaked water, tomato paste and red wine with a bit of salt, pepper and sugar to taste, bringing the sauce to a boil.  I then reduced the heat, bringing the sauce to a simmer and partially covered for 45 mins.  While the sauce was simmering, I started prepping the mussels.  Had to ensure all the beards were scrubbed off and no open shells.  During this time, I added the Italian pasta to a pot of salted water.

[Close up at one of the Polish female pole vaulters revealed a big cold sore on her upper lip.]

At around the 40 min mark, I added the mussels to the sauce (the saffron aroma was mesmerizing) and cooked for about 8 mins.  Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and added to the sauce with chopped basil.

After plating, I liberally sprinkled shaved parmesan cheese and dried parsley.  Voilà!  Pasta in a Mussel Saffron ragout.  I ate the whole thing in two meal settings…yes I did.