This dish can wear many hats. As is, it makes a light appetizer. Served with a zoccolo (fried bread “clog”—see the recipe that follows), it becomes a more substantial main course. Or you can prepare the mussels as described and toss them with freshly cooked linguine. This recipe will make enough sauce for a pound of linguine—six generous servings.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　1/4 cup cornmeal

　　2 pounds large mussels, preferably cultivated

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing the dish if you like

　　8 cloves garlic, sliced

　　One 1-pint basket ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, crushed

　　1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably the Sicilian or Greek type dried on the branch, crumbled

　　1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

　　1 cup dry white wine

　　10 large fresh basil leaves, shredded

　　Salt to taste

　　

Step 1

To purge mussels of their grit, stir the cornmeal into 3 quarts of water, add the mussels, and let them soak, shaking them up once or twice, for 1 hour. Drain completely, scrub the shells well, and, if necessary, remove the wiry “beard” protruding from the shell by tugging firmly with your fingers.

　　

Step 2

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 3 minutes. Slide the tomatoes into the skillet and stir in the oregano and red pepper. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 5 minutes. Stir the mussels into the skillet, then pour in the wine. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and cook just until the mussels are opened, about 3 minutes for cultivated mussels, slightly longer for thicker-shelled noncultivated mussels. Stir in the basil and, if you like, a generous drizzle of olive oil. Check the seasoning and add a little salt if necessary.

　　

Step 3

Discard any mussels with unopened shells. Divide the mussels among warmed serving bowls, topping each serving with a zoccolo, if you like.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Make sure, whenever you buy mussels, they feel heavy in the palm of your hands and the shells are shut tight.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.