Steamed mussels in a spicy tomato sauce with chorizo and white wine. A truly delicious date night meal!

A few years ago, my husband took me out for my birthday to a long-beloved restaurant in our old Boston neighbourhood. As the crow flies, it’s not that far from our just-north-of-the-city suburb, but if you know Boston, you will understand that the driving time was significant. There are no direct routes, so just getting there required effort. As did hiring a sitter and picking up a few close friends to join us. But it was worth it, without question. For the friendship, for the laughter, for the nostalgia and for the fantastic food. My meal was the hit of the evening, with everyone reaching in to spoon up a bit of the delicious spicy broth that surrounded the mussels. It was a dish that was both light and sultry at the same time. It wasn’t heavy food, but it was richly flavoured and made my palate sing with delight.

So when I wanted to have a quiet date night at home after our food-heavy family vacation, I thought I would try to recreate the flavours of that memorable meal. Mussels are an intimate dish, and they invite sharing and lingering. They take time to eat, so each bite is savoured. And although many mussel recipes have a light, garlicky broth, cooking them in a spicy tomato-based sauce makes them somehow more significant, more romantic, more sexy. A perfect match for Apothic White, a white wine with a deeper motive. It’s deep sweetness gives the spicy broth just the right edge.

Move over, red wine…white wine just got really sexy. It’s no longer just for bright summer evenings and garden parties. Think crisp but intense, light but alluring. Date night will never be the same.

Looking for more great ideas for sultry, sexy cooking and entertaining with Apothic White?

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Spicy Mussels in Tomato Chorizo Broth

Steamed mussels in a spicy tomato sauce with chorizo. A truly delicious date night meal!

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb chorizo or other spicy sausage casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 14- oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Apothic White Winemaker's Blend
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 lbs mussels cleaned and debearded (discard any that have cracked shells or are open and won't close when tapped gently on counter)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven set over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked through, breaking up any chunks with the back of a wooden spoon.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, leaving drippings in pan.
3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes, wine, and dried thyme and turn heat to medium high. Bring to a boil and add mussels.
5. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove lid, stir gently and re-cover. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, or until most mussels have opened (discard any that do not open).
6. Remove mussels from pot with a slotted spoon or skimmer.
7. Return sausage to pot, season broth with salt and pepper and bring back to a boil for a few minutes until somewhat thickened.
8. Serve by placing mussels in large bowls and spooning sauce over.

Recipe Notes

373 Calories; 21g Fat (54.7% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 65mg Cholesterol; 800mg Sodium.