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.

Mussels Fra Diavolo with Roasted Garlic

Ingredients

serves Serves 6, active time 30 minutes, total time 1 1/2 hours

• 2 large heads garlic, top quarter cut off
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chile flakes or 1 habanero chile, finely chopped
• 3 large plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley
• Toasted baguette slices, for serving

Procedures

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the garlic in a small baking dish, cut sides up, and drizzle the cut sides of the garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and bake for about 1 hour, until very soft. Squeeze the soft garlic from the papery skins into a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
   
2. In a large pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the scallions and chile flakes, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook until the tomatoes dissolve, about 4 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the garlic purée and the wine.
   
3. Bring the scallion-garlic mixture to a boil and add the mussels. Cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon or Chinese wire strainer, lift the open mussels from the pot and transfer to serving bowls. Discard any mussels that do not open.
   
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and add the basil. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve right away with toasted baguette slices.