Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Positano’s Zuppa di Mussels recipe
Q: We had the best mussels in tomato sauce at Positano in Boca Raton. I’d like to serve this dish at a dinner party, but I’ve never made mussels before. Is it possible to get the recipe? Thanks for your help. — Ron Thompson, Delray Beach
A :You picked a great mussel recipe to start with, Ron. Aside from being super tasty, the Zuppa di Mussels recipe from Positano Italian Restaurant (4400 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561-391-2120; positanoitalianrestaurant.com), is relatively easy to make. The prep work of chopping and measuring can be done in advance. Once you start cooking, the dish comes together very quickly, about 5 minutes. Which makes it a perfect first course for entertaining, or serve it over pasta for a main course.
Now celebrating their 15th year, coowner and Chef Ciro Perrella has mastered the magical formula at Positano. His food continually gets high marks for quality, consistency and generous portions. The waitstaff exudes professional hospitality, earning rave reviews. And Perrella draws a varied crowd, from tables of seasonal snowbirds savoring veal chops to canoodling couples on date nights over gnocchi.
Fine stemware and china may say “ristorante,” but the formal touches are just part of Positano. This local business with a small-town appeal and recipes from generations past has a casual elegance, where the ambiance feels more “trattoria” and you leave feeling like one of the family.
As a kid growing up in Napoli, Italy, Perrella was surrounded by a love of food and home cooking. He credits lessons learned in his mother’s and grandmothers’ kitchens as the basis for many of his dishes, such as the Zuppa di Mussels recipe. “People really like this dish,” he says. “It’s a very popular appetizer. It’s fresh, made to order and a large portion. And everyone loves dunking their bread in the garlicky tomato sauce.
“We offer two different types of mussels. The Cozze Adriatico is served in a garlic, lemon-white wine sauce and is on the regular menu. The Zuppa di Mussels is tomato-based and on our ‘specials’ menu, a three-course dinner for $31.95.”
Unlike most restaurants that limit a pre-fixed selection to just a few, Positano’s offers a choice of eight appetizers, five second course items — soup, salads or pasta — and over a dozen main courses. Something for everyone.