Tigres Rabiosos, Spicy Fresh Mussels

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into a thin julienne
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
4 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Grated zest of 1 lemon
For the mussels:
2 pounds black mussels (about 3 dozen), scrubbed
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
A few black peppercorns
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
Rock salt, for lining platter
1/2 lemon, for garnish

Directions:
For the sauce:
Heat the oil in a nonreactive 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, 5 more minutes.
Add the chile flakes and tomatoes, turn down the heat to low,
and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat, purée in a food processor, and,
if you want a smoother sauce, run the purée through the
small-holed plate of a food mill. Add the lemon zest,
return the purée to the saucepan, and set aside.

For the mussels:
Combine them with the wine, garlic, thyme, bay leaf,
and peppercorns in a large nonreactive pot with a tightfitting lid.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and cook until all the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat
and discard any mussels that have not opened.
When they are cool enough to handle, separate the mussels from their shells, discarding half of each shell. Put the mussels in the tomato sauce, add the chives, and reheat gently, just until hot.
To serve, line a platter with the rock salt
and arrange the empty shells on top.
Spoon a mussel and an ample amount of sauce into each shell.
Serve immediately, garnished with the lemon half.