You will be the talk of the Neighborhood when you prepare and serve this super-simple, but packed-with-flavor Mussels' Dish by Chef Lee.
Mussels:
24 mussels, thoroughly rinsed, beards removed
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced + 1 whole clove of garlic
1/2 small head of fennel, sliced
1/2 cup bacon lardons
1 large Italian sausage, removed from casing
1/2 cup white wine
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
4-5 slices sourdough bread
olive oil
Add bacon to a cold pan, and place on medium heat. Allow fat to render and bacon to cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add crumbled sausage meat and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, till sausage browns nicely.
Add shallots, garlic, fennel and cook 2-3 minutes or till vegetables have slightly softened.
Add the wine to the pan, scraping all the bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan and allowing them to dissolve into the sauce. Cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt if necessary.
Add mussels to the pan, coating them in the sauce. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook for about 3 minutes on medium-high. Uncover and discard any mussels which have not opened.
Thinly slice fennel fronds and mix with tomatoes, salt and olive oil. Set aside. Season bread slices with olive oil and salt, grill on high, about 1 minute on each side to create nice grill marks.
Plate the mussels in a wide bowl, top with fennel-tomato salad and serve alongside the grill bread.