Mussels with Chard and Tomatoes

A quick stew of mussels with onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Note: Heat-seekers like me can try adding a dash of cayenne or chili flakes to the onions, peppers and stems as they're cooking for a little spice.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch Swiss or rainbow chard, ends trimmed and stems cut into 1-inch pieces and leaves into 1-inch ribbons (about 4 cups of ribbons)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch-thick strips
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ½-inch-thick strips
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 pounds mussels, debearded and scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• Crusty bread

Procedures

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chard stems, onion and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften enough to break apart with a wooden spoon or potato masher, raising the heat to bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomatoes have broken down, about 6 minutes more.
   
2. Add the mussels and the chard, season with salt and pepper, cover, and allow to cook until most of the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any that didn’t open. Stir in the lemon juice, then ladle into bowls and top with parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.