Steamed Mussels with Fennel and Tomato

Steamed Mussels with Fennel and Tomato

Cooking with liqueurs brings unique flavors and flair to dishes. Adding Pernod, the famed 200-year-old Italian liqueur flavored with star anise and herbs, to traditional Italian steamed mussels gives them a lovely soft, sweet licorice flavor. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the aromatic broth. And have a soup spoon handy. No one can resist slurping up every last bit of the juices.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel (with some fronds), halved and thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, very thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine

1 28 -ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed lightly by hand

2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon

2 pounds mussels (preferably cultivated), scrubbed well and beards pulled off

Method:

1.Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel; cook until just soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil to reduce slightly. Add the tomatoes and tarragon, then cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.Stir in 1/2 cup water and the mussels. Raise the heat to high, cover and cook until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Check halfway through and transfer any open mussels to a serving bowl.) Transfer all the mussels to a serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Season the sauce with pepper and, if needed, salt, and pour over the mussels. Serve with the bread.

Per serving: Calories 425; Fat 19 g (Sat. 3 g; Mono. 11 g; Poly. 3 g); Cholesterol 65 mg; Sodium 1,220 mg; Carbohydrate 30 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 30 g