Ingredients
2 pounds mussels
For stuffing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups home-made semi-dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 small ripe tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon (dry) oregano [optional]
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable oil to grease a large baking sheet
Directions
To make home-made the semi-dry bread crumbs
1. Place two loaves of Italian-style country breads in individual brown paper bags, and let them rest at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. The inside of the bread should be dry -- but not too dry.
2. Remove crust from the semi-dry bread. Discard crust.
3. Using a grater with large holes grate the semi-dry bread (without crust).
To cook the mussels
1. Rinse mussels under cold water, making sure the shells are absolutely clean.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
3. Place the mussels in the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Drain the mussels. Throw out any mussels that do not open. Cool.
To make the stuffing
1. Heat up the olive oil.
2. Add the chopped garlic and cook till golden (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the finely chopped tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the breadcrumbs.
5. Season the breadcrumb mixture with parsley, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and cool.
To stuff the mussels
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Break open each shell, keeping the bottom half (or that part of the mussel that is still attached to the shell) and discarding the other half.
3. On a large tray, place about 2 tablespoons (Or as much as needed) of breadcrumb mixture in each mussel. Continue doing so until all the mussels are stuffed.
4. Oil a large baking sheet.
5. Place the stuffed mussels on the oiled baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 6 minutes or until the breadcrumb mixture is golden.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
It seems that prior to World War II very few individuals made "Stuffed Mussels with Seasoned Breadcrumbs" for Christmas Eve in the Molise countryside. Certainly, my mother never did when she was living in Casacalenda. In fact, none of her relatives prepared any kind of seafood for Christmas Eve or for any other kind of festivity. However, after my mother immigrated to Canada, she, along with my aunts and everyone else in our Italian neighborhood, started to present seafood on Christmas Eve. In the 1970s the dish was a must-have on Christmas Eve. As my mother never used cookbook in her life (Don't believe she ever even looked through one!), she must have learned how to do "Stuffed Mussels with Seasoned Breadcrumbs" from a relative or neighbor, I suppose. Apparently, "Stuffed Mussels with Seasoned Breadcrumbs" is a traditional recipe from Termoli (Molise). Like many other seacoast towns, Termoli has a wide variety of fish and seafood dishes... Photo: by the contributor. |
