MUSSELS WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

Mussels With Tomato and Basil image

Provided by Moira Hodgson

Time 40m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

50 to 60 mussels
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 leaves basil
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Steps:

Clean the mussels and put them in a large saucepan on high heat. Sprinkle in the white wine, cover and cook until the mussels open. Remove from heat as soon as they have opened, strain off the liquor and keep it.
Debeard the mussels and discard one-half of each shell. Set the mussels in half-shells on a serving dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soften the shallots in the olive oil over moderate heat and add about one cup of the mussel cooking liquor.
Reduce the mussel liquor until it has almost disappeared, then add the tomatoes, heat through and add the garlic. Warm through again to drive off some but not all of the volatility of the garlic, then add the basil, freshly snipped. Add the parsley and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Heat the mussels through in the oven; don't overdo it or they will toughen. Spoon the sauce into the mussel shells and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 265, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 11 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 25 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 647 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram