Frank's Recipes! Pasta with Aged Goat Cheese and Smoked Mussels

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Pasta with Aged Goat Cheese and Smoked Mussels

1 large leek, white part only, coarsely chopped, about 1/2 cup
1/3 cup, approximately, extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb dried pagilia e fieno
(straw and hay, thin green and white noodles)
3/4 lb smoked mussels, drained of all excess oil
A generous pinch, roughly 1/8 tsp, cayenne pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded fresh oregano
1/4 cup creme fraiche, at room temperature
1/3 to 1/2 lb hard aged goats milk cheese, cut into 1/3 inch cubes, about 1-1/2 cups
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

This recipe requires fast last minute assemblage. Be sure all is in readiness before you begin. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the paste.

Put a generous film of olive oil into a wide, ideally 12 inch skillet. Sauté the leek in it over low-medium heat until limp and translucent but not at all colored, about 15 minutes. If pasta water is not yet boiling, remove pan from the heat.

When water boils, slowly add the pasta. Allow to cook for about 4 minutes, then add the mussels to the leek pan and sauté over low-medium heat until they are just cooked, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and oregano.

As soon as the pasta is done al dente, drain it and return it to the pot. Put the pot back on the hot burner but do not turn on the heat.

Pour the mussel mixture over the pasta, add the creme fraiche and cheese and toss thoroughly, sprinkling in a small amount of salt and pepper neat the end. Taste, correct the seasonings and serve at once on warmed plates. The heat from the pasta will warm the cream and semi-melt the cheese.

Serves 4 as a main dish and 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

NOTE:
Many closely related herbs are sold as oregano. The Greek type is milder and mintier than the common variety. Gauge the amount to the sort you have; its flavor should be strong but not dominant.