Food Like That: Recipes your mouth will like

I've made mussels and clams dozens of times, and the base sauce with white wine, garlic, onions, and butter is always pretty much the same. Adding bacon and peppers makes for a heartier broth.

We had an appetizer sized portion of clams and mussels -- about 2 pounds for 4 people. For a full meal, you'll want at least 1 pound of shellfish per person, and probably more if you don't have much in the way of side dishes.

I started by slicing up one and a half onions and three cloves of garlic. I minced 5 slices of back bacon and sauted the whole mixture in 2 Tablespoons of butter. Once the onions were starting to soften, I added a cup of white wine, a bay leaf, and some fresh ground black pepper. Three sliced green peppers and a handful of marinated red peppers were added, then I dumped in the mussels and clams.

Marinated red peppers were something that just happened to be in the pantry. The tangy - vinegary taste went well with this, but you can just use regular red peppers. Other good vegetables to add are leeks, spinach, or carrots.

Put a lid on the pot and keep boiling until the majority of the shells have opened (throw out any shells that don't open -- they're bad). Stir occasionally during steaming to make sure the shellfish are submerged in the broth.

Serve with lots of bread available for dipping into the broth.