Tuscanycious

Stuffed Mussels or Cozze alla viareggina

Ingredients 4 servings:

• 20 big mussels
• 2 oz. Mortadella
• 2 oz. tuna fish in extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of parsley
• 2 tsp of thyme
• 3 eggs
• 2 cloves of garlic§
• 3 -4 Tuscan bread slices soaked in milk
• 1 glass of white wine
• 2 cups of tomato sauce or 6 ripe, peeled tomatoes

Clean and rinse the mussels. Put them still wet in a pan until they are opened. Soak the bread in milk for some minutes then squeeze out the milk and crumble the bread in a bowl, combine the beaten eggs, thyme, minced Mortadella and tuna; Stuff the shells with all these ingredients mixed together. Tie them together with a kitchen string and put them in a pan with oil, garlic and red pepper. Add white wine and wait until reduced. Salt and add the chopped parsley and tomato purée or chopped, ripe and peeled tomatoes. Stew until the sauce is thick.