A delicious and easy recipe for Tomato Basil Mussels, featuring crispy pancetta/guanciale/bacon, aromatic shallots and garlic, white wine, and fresh basil, served with a flavorful broth.
Start out by slicing up a half pound of Pancetta, Guanciale, or Bacon. Cook it in a large pan on medium heat until it’s nice and crispy, then set aside. Remove some oil from the pan, leaving about 3 tablespoons worth. Then add 1 large minced shallot, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, red pepper flakes (to taste), 1 cup of dry white wine, 1 cup of chicken broth, 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, 4 tablespoons of butter, chicken bouillon powder and salt & pepper to taste, and 1.5 cups of sliced cherry tomatoes. Then add around 2 pounds of mussels that have been scrubbed clean (make sure to throw out any that were open prior to cooking). Lightly toss this all together and cook covered for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until all the mussels open. Take off the heat, and add in the juice from 1 lemon, your crispy Guanciale, Bacon or Pancetta, and a generous amount of fresh basil. Serve this right away with the broth and some bread to dip into it. Enjoy.
