Red wine?!?  And with seafood? Yes, and it’s delicious.  If you choose a lighter red wine, nothing too heavy, the flavors are delightfully delicate with these steamed mussels.  When I ate this dish last night it gave me a faint glimmer of summer and sand and the smell of the ocean.  I love nothing more than the sounds of the beach, the bright sunny days and the cooler less humid nights.  This dish is like summer at the beach on the plate.

Not only that- and I say this a lot- but it’s really easy to make.  I made sure I had everything ready before I cooked the mussels- they take next to no time to cook.  Make sure you take the mussels out as they open.  I hate overcooked seafood and taking them out of the pot as soon as they open guarantees you won’t end up with that tough, chewy result that isn’t worth discussing any further.

The smell of bacon and tomatoes flooding through the house is reason enough to make this dish tonight.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lauren

After cleaning, I store the mussels in ice water to keep them cold and prevent them from opening.

Mussels with Bacon, Tomatoes and Red Wine

Lauren Torrisi's mussels steamed with red wine with tomatoes and bacon.

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed thoroughly and de-bearded
4 slices bacon, diced
1 large tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, cut into small pieces
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine
bunch parsley
3-4 cups brown rice, cooked

Directions:

In medium pot, heat the oil on medium-hight heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic.

Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits of bacon on the bottom. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

Add the mussels and cover the pot, shaking the pot so that the mussels cook evenly and quickly. Remove the mussels as they open.

Reduce the sauce on medium-low heat until thick. Add 1/4 cup parsley.

To serve: Place rice on a plate. Spoon sauce on rice and place mussels on top. Garnish with parsley.