Wednesday, August 30, 2017

MUSSELS WITH PANCETTA, CHERRY TOMATOES & VERMOUTH

Here is another amazing way to serve mussels. Serve with a green salad and crusty Italian bread for soaking up the delicious broth. Wild mussels have beards and farm-raised mussels usually do not.



2 lbs mussels, wild or farm raised
1 t saffron powder or threads (optional)
¼ cup boiling water
1 T extra-light olive oil or avocado oil
2 oz diced pancetta
2 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 red chile pepper, thinly sliced or a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup dry vermouth
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped oregano leaves
2 T chopped Italian parsley

If you are using wild mussels, scrub them first with a brush under cold running water.
 Leave beards attached.
Place mussels in a bowl, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate until ready to cook.

In a small bowl, add the saffron, cover with the boiling water and set aside.

Add oil to a large deep skillet or Dutch oven and over medium-high heat, brown the pancetta, for about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat, add the shallots and sauté a couple of minutes. 
Add the garlic and chile pepper and sauté another minute.
Turn off heat and remove mussels from the refrigerator.

Remove any beards with a pair of “kitchen only” needle-nose pliers.
Turn on the heat in a skillet or Dutch oven to medium-high.
Add the mussels along with vermouth, tomatoes, and saffron with water.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and gently stir.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer until shells open, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Mix in the oregano and parsley.

Divide mussels and broth between two warm bowls.
Discard any mussels that did not open.

Serves 2

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