Seafood and Meat Recipes - Mussels with Wine and Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic

• 5 spring onions (scallions)

• 1 leek

• 1/4 celeriac root

• 1 carrot

• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 sprig rosemary

• 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

• 1 large can tomatoes (800 g/1 3/4 lb)

• 2 kg/4 1/2 lb mussels

• 500 ml/17 fl oz (2 1/4 cups) dry white wine

• salt 

• pepper cayenne pepper

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices. Peel the spring onions (scallions) and cut into thin strips. Cut the leeks into thin strips. Peel the celeriac and carrot. Cut the celeriac into small cubes and slice the carrots.

2. Heat the oil in a very large frying pan or saucepan. Add the prepared vegetables and fry briefly. Stir in the herbs and tomatoes with their juice. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

3. Wash the mussels carefully under the tap, using a brush. Throwaway any mussels that are already open.

4. Add the wine to the tomato sauce and bring to the boil. Remove the rosemary and season the sauce with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

5. Add the mussels to the tomato sauce. Cover and cook over a high heat until ready. Shake the saucepan vigorously now and again.

6. After about 10 minutes, serve the mussels and sauce on four warmed plates. Throw away any mussels that have remained closed during cooking.

Note: The common mussel is an edible mollusc found and farmed all over in the world. It lives in the sea where it clings to posts and stones. For safety, fresh ones should only be eaten when there is an "r" in the month, that is from September to April.