Rainy Night Dinner

     Val and I were considering going out to a movie tonight on our days off, but we started chatting about food (as usual) and suddenly cooking dinner at home sounded like much more fun.  We wanted quick and easy, warm and hearty.  Mussels fit the bill.  Just had to make a quick stop at the grocery for a bit of veg, mussels, and some crusty bread. After just a bit of chopping and prep, our dinner took only minutes to cook.       I definitely recommend mussels as a satisfying weeknight meal. The great thing is that anything goes.  The extra veggies in the pantry, fridge, or freezer... perfect time to use stuff up.  And easy to adjust to every season.  We used potato, carrot, mushroom and a can of San Marzano tomatoes tonight.  Finished off with a bit of cream, lemon, thyme, and crushed red pepper. As the rain fell outside on this windy evening, we sat down to a steaming bowl of perfectly cooked mussels.  Plenty of fall vegetables with each tender mussel and a nice lingering heat from the red pepper, plus a touch of saltiness from freshly grated Parm-Regg over top.  We sopped up every last drop of the creamy tomato broth with our baguette.  We ate till we were stuffed; it was the kind of dish you just keep going back for more of.


Mussels in Creamy Tomato Broth
Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup San Marzano tomatoes and juice, crushed
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, boiled and diced
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup cream 
20 mussels, debearded and cleaned
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

 Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Saute shallot and garlic until golden brown. Add carrot and mushroom; saute until tender. Add wine and next 6 ingredients.
Bring to a boil; cover and cook 5 minutes. Season broth to taste with salt and pepper.  Add cream, 2 tablespoons parsley and mussels; cover and cook 5 minutes or until shells open.  Discard any unopened shells.

Ladle mussels, vegetables and broth into bowls. Sprinkle remaining parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top.  Serve with a great crusty baguette for dipping!