When I lived in Montreal, instead of using olives in a jar, I used to go to the Atwater Market to buy spicy olives at one of the cheese shops. They were prepared on the premise and were very fresh. I have bought spicy olives at other shops but they were not as good as those at the Atwater Market. If you have a chance to go there, don’t forget to buy some olives. Your mussels will taste even better.
One kilo serves about one to two people for a meal, three for an appetizer.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg mussels, washed and brushed
- 60 ml olive oil
- 250 ml finely chopped onion
- 3 or 4 chopped garlic cloves
- 125 ml chopped green peppers
- 750 ml chopped fresh or can tomatoes
- 125 ml white wine
- 60 ml green olives (you can use black one if you prefer)
- 5 ml thym
- 1 ml cayenne pepper
- 1 ml black pepper
- 1 ml sugar
- 80 ml fresh chopped parsley
- 60 ml fresh chopped basil
- 125 ml parmesan cheese
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large casserole
- Add onion, garlic and green pepper and sauté 5 minutes
- Add wine, tomatoes, olives, thyme, cayenne and black pepper
- Bring to a boil and let simmer 6 to 8 minutes
- Add sugar and mussels and mix well
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mussels open
- Discard unopened mussels
- Add parsley and basil and sprinkle the parmesan
- Serve in a large soup bowl
