Mussels in Marinara Sauce

from..."Miss Mary's Kitchen"

#mb-01-12
MUSSELS IN MARINARA SAUCE


Mussels in a tasty wine sauce have always appealed to me. I'm not sure whether it is the delicious crustacean or the taste of the broth created in the cooking process, but the dish certainly is enjoyable!

Up until this weekend, I had not prepared mussels in any other way except steamed in a wine broth. While at the grocery this weekend, I spotted mussels and grape tomatoes that were both on sale, Mussels in marinara sauce quickly came to mind. My idea of a marinara sauce is a basic tomato sauce with lots of garlic, so I figured this dish to be a simple task. Mussels take just a few minutes to cook, so once all ingredients were gathered up, I knew I could have this on the table in about 20 minutes. I started the spaghetti cooking while I steamed the mussels so everything was ready at the same time.

Norm declared this dish to be 'de-lish', and encouraged me to share it.

MUSSELS IN MARINARA SAUCE
Serves 2-4

1 lb. grape tomatoes
1 t. olive oil
1 c. white wine
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 lb. mussels, scrubbed and debearded
14-15 oz. can diced tomatoes (no salt)
1/2 t. dried basil
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
cooked spaghetti

Put the grape tomatoes in a single layer in an ovenproof dish, Add 1 t. olive oil to cover tomatoes. Place in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes until the tomatoes burst. Remove from the oven, cool slightly and break up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven, combine wine, onions, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium high, add the mussels, cover and steam for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the mussels, Remove the mussels to a bowl. Add grape tomatoes, canned tomatoes, basil and 2 T. extra virgin olive oil to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Return the mussels to the pan, stir to combine and reheat the mussels.

Dish up spaghetti, cover with mussels and sauce, and enjoy!
Serve with a tossed salad and crusty baguettes.

From Miss Mary's Kitchen Recipes available at her blogsite - http://frommissmaryskitchen.blogspot.com/

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