Mussels With Mint Chiles And Bacon Recipes

MUSSELS WITH BACON AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Clean the mussels and discard any that don't close when sharply tapped.
• Place the mussels in a large saucepan and cover with the wine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until the mussels are open. Transfer them to a bowl and discard any that do not open. Strain the cooking liquid into a separate bowl to remove any grit or impurities and set this and the mussels aside.
• Melt half the butter in a pan over a low heat and add the shallots and garlic.
• Add the bacon, increase the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes until the bacon is crisp.
• Now add the tomatoes and cook until softened.
• Mash the flour and the remaining butter in a bowl, then add this mixture to the pan, piece by piece. At the same time, slowly add the mussel cooking liquid. If you find that the sauce is too thick, add a little water to loosen the mixture.
• Reheat the mussels in the sauce, then sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately with some crusty bread.

MUSSELS WITH BACON AND RAPINI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the cubed up bread to the skillet to soak up all the excess bacon fat, add pepper and let it go on medium to low heat until bread crisps up. Remove from pan and set aside.
• For the croutons:
• Chop up the bread into thick cubes. Toss with the seasonings and oil. Bake until golden and crispy.
• For the mussels:
• Bring a large pot of water to boil for 30 seconds. Add the whole rapini and blanch for 45 seconds. Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain and roughly chop. Set aside.
• In another pan, add and the olive oil and onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the wine, cover, and cook for 2 minutes then add mussels and water and cook until they begin to open, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rapini to the pan of muscles and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, discard unopened mussels, add bacon, dill, chives, butter, lemon juice, to taste, salt, and pepper and serve with croutons on top.

MUSSELS WITH MINT, CHILES, AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the bacon. Cook, stirring often, until it renders much of its fat and begins to brown but not crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving any fat in the pan, and set aside.
• Add the chiles and garlic to the saucepan, and cook until the garlic begins to brown and the chiles darken. Add the mussels and wine to the pan; cover and cook over medium heat until most of the mussels open. Shake the pan, and continue to cook for another minute. Use a spider strainer to transfer the mussels to a serving bowl (discard any mussels that remain closed). Add the cooked bacon and mint to the liquid in the pan; heat until the mint wilts, then pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve immediately.