2 Tbsp olive oil
6 ounces chorizo, skin removed and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups chicken broth*
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
Ground sea salt to taste
1 pound mussels or clams
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Italian Parsley
Manchego cheese, grated (or similar hard Spanish cheese)
Garlic paprika aioli (recipe follows)
- Make the garlic paprika aioli and let chill in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Break the angel hair pasta strands into 1-inch pieces. Lay pasta on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool.
- Wash and de-beard mussels. Discard any mussels that are open or have cracked shells.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and garlic and cook until garlic is browned on edges, about 2 minutes. (Note: my store only had raw chorizo so I cooked it a few minutes longer and added the garlic at the end.)
- Add chicken broth, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar, pasta, ground sea salt, and mussels. Stir to submerge pasta in the liquid. Bring to boil, cover, and steam for 5 minutes or until pasta is cooked and mussels have opened. Reduce heat to low and carefully stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream.
- Serve with garlic paprika aioli, sliced scallions, Italian parsley, and a shaving of Manchego cheese.
*Note: You can use 2 cups dry white wine and 2 cups chicken broth if you prefer.
Garlic Paprika Aioli
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use Greek Gods)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp paprika
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Combine yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, sea salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Note: you could use mayonnaise instead of yogurt for a true aioli but I vastly prefer cooking with Greek yogurt whenever possible. It’s so much healthier and I think it tastes less greasy.
I suppose I could have decanted this into a serving dish so the sides weren’t messy but we’re all friends here and frankly this isn’t something I would switch out to a serving dish anyway. When my friends come over for pasta, I almost always set my Dutch oven right on the table so they can help themselves to more.
