Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce
Mussels are delicious, inexpensive, and a good source of low-fat protein! What more could you ask for?
Serve this dish with a salad and crusty bread
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup white wine
2 cups Red Sauce, recipe follows
3 pounds medium mussels, scrubbed, debearded, rinsed, and drained
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
Two 35-ounce cans plum tomatoes in juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 head (about 12 medium cloves) garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium onions (about 12 ounces), cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil.
2. Add the mussels and replace the lid. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once gently. Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and firmly cooked, about 4 minutes more.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl with a Chinese wire mesh skimmer. Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high. Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
Red Sauce: Yield: about 2 quarts
1. Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and place your (clean) hands in the bowl and crush the tomatoes so they break up into a range of small pieces. In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil but before it smokes, about 40 seconds oil until they begin to brown, about 10 seconds until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the vegetables until they are very brown, about just enough to prevent them from scorching.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice and 1 1/2 cups of water (white wine, if using), and bring to a boil. Lower until the sauce level has reduced by 2 or 3 and coats the back of a spoon. Cook the sauce and stir so it doesn’t stick. Remove from heat, cool down in the pot. Transfer to a sealed plastic container to store or use right away.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
