Steamed Mussels with Sausages and Fennel

Ingredients

• 16 ounce sourdough baguette french divided cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices,
• 3 cups cooking wine dry white divided ( one 750-ml bottle)
• 6 cups fennel bulbs fresh divided sliced
• 6  garlic cloves divided crushed
• 6 pounds mussels scrubbed
• 8 servings olive oil extra-virgin (for drizzling)
• 6 cups onions divided sliced
• 8 servings parsley fresh italian chopped
• 1 teaspoon pepper dried red divided crushed
• 2 pounds link sausages sweet italian hot divided

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Using fork, piercesausages all over.
2. Heat each of 2 largecast-iron skillets or other large ovenproofskillets over medium-high heat.
3. Addhalf of sausages to each skillet and cookmeat until browned, turning occasionally,about 5 minutes.
4. Add half of onions, halfof fennel, half of garlic, and half of driedcrushed red pepper to each skillet.
5. Add1 cup white wine to each skillet and bringto boil. Cover and simmer until sausagesand vegetables are cooked through,about 12 minutes.
6. Add 1/2 cup wine, then1/2 of mussels to each skillet; transferskillets to oven and roast uncovered5 minutes. Carefully remove skilletsfrom oven; top each skillet with enoughbaguette slices to cover completely.Return skillets to oven; bake uncovereduntil mussels open and bread slices beginto brown, about 5 minutes longer (discardany mussels that do not open).
7. Drizzle bread in each skillet withextra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle withchopped parsley.
8. Serve mussels andsausages directly from skillets.
9. A soft, medium-bodiedred wine is the perfect matchfor this rich, hearty entrée. We like the
10. Ca’ Bianca 2005 "Antè" Barbera d’Asti($1
11. from Italy's Piedmont region. Thewine's juicy sour-cherry flavors andslight earthiness pair beautifully with thesausages and mussels.