Mussels in Tomato Sauce for Two

I love the taste of muskiness that comes from cooking mussels. It serves as a great appetizer for a big dinner party, as a main for dinner for two, and is relatively simple to make.

At home, I often make mussels in green curry sauce and lemongrass. A little secret from me: adding thin vermicelli noodes to the sauce soaks up the curry sauce and is so delicious to slurp up.

After enjoying many steamy blows of mussles in green curry sauce, my husband suggested that we try making mussels in a sauce that doesn't use coconut milk. So I googled for a tomato sauce based mussel recipe and came across this one. It is simple, and requires little time to prepare.

I forgot to take pictures of this dish while I was making it, as this was the first time with this recipe and I like to focus. Plus, my husband who usually takes photos was busy minding the bbq for a small dinner party we were hosting.

This is a delicious recipe, and the sauce was great to eat with the baguette. This will be one of our favourite mussels dish for a long time!

Mussels in Tomato Sauce for Two
From The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/mussels_in_tomato_sauce_for_two.php

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano or thyme
1/4 tsp (1 mL) hot pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) stewed tomatoes
2 lb (1 kg) mussels, scrubbed


Preparation:

In Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, celery, garlic, oregano and hot pepper flakes, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until spoon drawn across bottom of pan leaves space, 15 minutes.

Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 8 minutes. Discard any that do not open.

Serve with: Baguette — Tossed Salad