Mussels in sicilian style (Coze all'aghiotta)

  

This recipe belongs to the culinary tradition of the island of Sicily.

"Aghiotta" is a very popular sauce in Sicily that is made with onion, celery, tomato, capers and green or black olives that is also used to make caponata of eggplant and other fish such as cod or tuna. It is that type of sauce that you put it on whatever you put it on, your diners are going to eat the meat, vegetables or fish that is underneath even if they don't like it.

INGREDIENTS (4 people)

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) of mussels, washed and cleaned
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chopped parsley (one branch)
• A stick of celery
• Half a kilo (1.1 lb)  of tomato pulp
• 1 handful of capers
• 1 handful of pitted green or black olives
• 1 glass of white wine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Ground black pepper
• Salt

Chop the onion and sauté it with a generous splash of olive oil. Add the finely chopped celery (remove the toughest outer fibers) and then add the crushed garlic clove without the green germ inside.

If you think that 2 cloves are too many, use only one, it depends on taste. When the onion is transparent, we add the tomato pulp, the capers, the green olives cut into slices and a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.

We let it cook over medium heat for 10 minutes and with the pan uncovered, so that the water in the tomatoes disappears and the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, place the mussels in another saucepan over medium heat with a little oil and salt. After a few minutes the shells will split open (discard the ones that don't, it means they were dead before collection). Let the water drain.

When the mussels have drained the excess water, we take them to the pan of the "aghiotta" sauce and stir so that it covers them. Then we add a glass of white wine and let it cook, over medium heat, for 15 minutes. From time to time we move the pan, avoiding using a wooden spoon or other utensil, to prevent the shells from separating.

It is served very hot covered with a little fresh parsley. And stock up on bread, the sauce is incredible!

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