The zuppa di cozze is a thick soup made with mussels that are sgusciate – it means shelled, peeled or hulled. The mussel meat is removed from the shells.
The soup is so thick that it is almost a braise.
Zuppa is another term for soup, and this is one of my favourite methods for cooking mussels.
I had some cooked mussels in their shells and some left over broth that I had used for a pasta dish and decided to use these ingredients to make a soup. I added red tomatoes, basil and grated zucchini, resulting in a thick, fragrant and highly flavoured soup.
I tend to cook in large quantities, which often leaves leftovers. However, I enjoy transforming cooked ingredients into something new.
THE SOUP
This made a soup for 4 people.
If you do not have ready cooked mussels, this is what you can do:
Stage1: The mussels
Clean the mussels in their shells (about 500gm; remove beards, wash or scrub the mussels under running water.
In a saucepan, heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and add 2 spring onions chopped finely; sauté for 1 minute. Add mussels in their shells, 2 tablespoon chopped parsley and about ¾ cup of white wine. Cover, cook on high heat and bring to a boil. Toss them around now and again until the shells open.
Once cool keep the juice (this is the broth) and remove the mussel meat from the shells. Keep a few in their shell for decoration.
Stage 2: The soup
Mussels and their broth, see above,
ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, 800g
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
fresh basil leaves, some to cook with and some to add at the end
2 zucchini, grated
1 spring onion
black pepper or fresh chill (sliced thinly)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
salt to taste (mussel broth could be salty)
PROCESSES
Place the tomatoes in a saucepan add garlic, some of the oil and some basil. Leave uncovered and cook on low-medium heat until thickened (about 15 mins). This results into a tomato salsa which could also be used for dressing pasta.
In a pan that is large enough to take all of the ingredients, heat the rest of the olive oil, add spring onion and zucchini and cook until soft, stirring often.
Add the mussel meat, their broth and more water if necessary and simmer for another 5 minutes until heated through.
Add fresh basil and serve.
MUSSELS WITH FRENCH FLAVOURS (Provencale)
COZZE (Mussels) GREEN LIPPED MUSSELS WITH TOMATO AND CANNELLINI BEANS