Monday, February 21, 2011

Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic

The first time I had mussels Hubby and I were visiting Montreal.  We went at the end of January in 2005 before our first wedding anniversary.  I remember 2 things from this trip.  One it was so cold; the coldest I had ever felt in my whole life.  Two was the mussels we had at l'Actual.  I have a terrible memory so the fact that I remember the name of the restaurant says something about the food.  The second time I had mussels was when Hubby had to go to Belgium for work and I tagged along.  He went to work and I explored Belgium and Amsterdam.  We ate Mussels every meal possible.  They didn't serve them with tomatoes, but they were so delicious.  
Fun Fact: I got pregnant with PB in Belgium, I am pretty sure it was the mussels :)  (and no we are not eating mussels to get pregnant again)

When I was at my grocery store this week I saw the mussels display and was very excited.  I love mussels season and we will be eating this every week until the season is over!  And maybe for our 7th wedding anniversary next week! In Belgium and Montreal they served frites with the mussels. I serve my mussels over pasta, but I wish it was with frites.

Mussels with Tomatoes and Garlic- recipe by me! serves 2-4 (depends how many mussels you want to eat.)

Ingredients:
3 T. olive oil
1/4 onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced (use more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 c white wine or chicken broth
2 servings spaghetti, cooked
2 lb. bag of mussels
crusty bread

Prep the mussels by washing each shell and checking for cracked or opened shells.  Discard any suspicious looking mussels.  

Put the olive oil in a large pan/pot that has a lid over medium heat.  Cook the minced onion until translucent.  Add in the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for one minute.  Stir in the tomatoes with juice, basil and oregano.  Cook down the tomatoes for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid is gone.  Add white wine and turn the heat up to medium high.  When it is bubbling, add the mussels and put the lid on tight.  Cook until the shells have fully opened.  about 5-9 minutes, it will depend how hot your stove is.  Any shell that didn't open should be discarded.  Serve over pasta and with some crusty bread, and make sure you get all the delicious liquid out of the pot.  

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2 comments:

Kelly said...

Oh my goodness, these look incredible! Even if they are without frittes ;)

Courtney @ {not so homemade} said...

This recipe looks SO good! As soon as I see mussels start showing up in our stores I HAVE to get some so I can try this recipe!

I wanted to let you know your recipe was featured on this week's What's Cooking Wednesday! I hope you'll stop by and link up some more awesome recipes!

3/2 What's Cooking Wednesday

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