by Toni Nakama

Created on: January 20, 2009

I did not know that there is such a recipe like this until I came across a recipe similar to what I cook at home. Posillipo is a place in Naples, Italy and this recipe is originally Italian. I love cooking this at home and eat with Italian bread or baguette. Here's my version of this recipe.

Ingredients: 1. Finely chopped garlic 2. white wine 3. finely chopped ripe tomatoes 4. seafood or fish broth (or water if broth is not available) 5. ground black pepper 6. chopped basil 7. clams and mussels.

The amount of the ingredients will depend on how much you want to cook and the taste you want to achieve. The ideal result though in this dish is to come up with a thick and rich sauce with all the flavours of clams and mussels in it.

Preparation: Saute garlic in olive oil.

Add about 40 ml. cooking white wine. Let the alcohol evaporates until the smell becomes very light. For me this ingredient is optional.

Add chopped ripe tomatoes and saut for a minute or until tomatoes are soft. The more tomatoes you use the better, because it will make the sauce really rich. I also put a teaspoon of tomato paste in my sauce to add more flavour.

Add seafood broth or fish broth, whichever you prefer. You can even use plain water if you like.

Season it with ground black pepper. Add chilli flakes; this is optional.

Put in finely chopped basil. You can also alter it with chopped parsley.

Finally, put in the clams and mussels and cover the pot. Cook it until the shells are open. Discard those that did not open at all.

Before turning off the stove, taste the sauce and season it with salt as needed. I prefer to put the salt at the last minute because the juice of the clams and mussels oftentimes create enough saltiness in the sauce.

This recipe can be very versatile too. I am Asian and I love eating rice since it is my staple food. I oftentimes eat my left over clams and mussels Posillipo with rice the next day for lunch. My mother-in-law serves this with spaghetti for the main dish at dinner time.

I have been to an Italian restaurant before. They serve a dish similar to these but with just mussels in it. They served it with freshly baked garlic bread. Ahhhh....I love dipping my garlic bread in the sauce until it becomes so soft that it melts in my mouth. The blend of the tastes of the garlic bread and the sauce is just so delicious and unforgettable that makes me crave for this now. Bon apetite!

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