Linguine ai Frutti di Mare, jeff style.

[jeff]

Before I go on, I want to let you know that I've never ordered this before, also I've never made it. I found a good bit of variation between one recipe to the next. So... this is Linguine ai Frutti di Mare (jeff style) or at least what tasted good to me. :p

This recipe makes enough for two people.

about 20 mussels.
about 15 small shrimp/8 large shrimp shelled or not shelled.
8 oz dried Linguine
1, 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes drained of most but not all juice. (save juice)
1/4 cup white wine, wine that's good enough to drink.
1/4 onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 TBS olive oil
1 dried hot pepper crushed up, or a dash of red pepper flakes.
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
sugar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
fresh parmesan for garnish

Cook the linguine and set aside.

Peel the shrimp if you don't want any shells
Rinse off the mussels and check to make sure they're alive, If any mussels are open, shut them and see if they stay shut, if they stay open, throw them away, also if any shells are broke, throw them away. I got a bad batch today and more then half of my bag was dead.

Drain the diced tomatoes and set the juice aside.

Place the 2 TBS oil, diced onion and diced garlic in a pan, once up to heat add the mussels and 1/4 cup wine. cover the pan and let cook for 2-3 minutes, the mussels will open up when done. Once done, using some tongs remove the mussels and set aside, add in the drained diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, red pepper, and the optional sugar. Let this cook for 4-5 minutes, if the sauce starts to get too thick, add some of the saved tomato juice. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the session if needed. At this point add the shrimp and cover the pan. Once the shrimp are cooked add the mussels back into the mix to make sure they're nice and hot.

Put the linguine on a plate and spoon the sauce and seafood on top. Garnish with parsley and fresh parmesan. Serve with the left over wine and Garlic Bread

P.S If you have fresh herbs laying around, don't hesitate to use them.