INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
8 oz. slices mushrooms
1/2 of a 750 ml bottle of white wine
1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes
1 8oz. bottle clam juice
1 5 oz. can baby clams
1 lbs. mussels
5 leaves fresh basil
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) or 1 tiny hot, red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped flat leafed parsley
3 mild Italian sausages (optional -instead use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of ground fennel or anise -to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oil in heavy soup pot or cast iron pot.
2. Slice onions and add to pan. Heat until translucent.
3. Slice and add garlic and hot pepper. Saute for a few minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and cook another 2 minutes.
5. Remove sausages from casings and fry them breaking up with a wooden spoon. Fry about 5 minutes
6. Add wine and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Add the can of plum tomatoes roughly breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or a spoon.
Add the bottled clam juice and canned clams. Bring to a boil. Add the basil leaves along with the chopped parsley.
8. Add the mussels which have been rinsed and debearded. Discard the opened mussels. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until all the mussels have all opened.
9. If any of the mussels will not open, discard these mussels. Serve the soup with garlic bread.
FOOD TIP: When your raw mussels are open, tap them on a hard counter. If they do not close then discard them as they are dead and can make you sick. If they close then they are fine to cook and enjoy.