Mussels Marinara

Mussels marinara is a simple dish that consists of marinara sauce and of course mussels.  Mussels are very diverse in cooking because there is so much you can do with them.  They also add diverse flavor in two ways the shell and the mussel itself.
This dish is comprised in two parts the mussels and the marinara sauce that is used.  When buying mussels fresh is always best however frozen is ok.  The cleaning is the most important part.  So either have you fish monger do it or if you do it make sure you take the beard off and rinse thoroughly to get rid of any excess sand or mud that might be in the shellfish.  When rinsing use slow running cold water for about 20 to 30 minuets to get rid of any particles that may still be in the cavity of the mussel.

Simple marinara sauce:

2 cans of crushed tomatoes, rienzi, cento, or pomi are the ones that purchase.

1 small onion

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Clean your onion and chop finely add to you your sauce pot.  Also add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and  saute the onions until they are soft.  Do this on medium to low heat.  When the onions have become soft add the crushed tomatoes and bring it to a boil.  Continually stir the sauce until it gets to a boil so it does not stick to your pot.  When it starts to boil lower heat to medium to low and stir occasionally, you want the sauce to cook for about 20 minuets so the tomatoes and the onions meld together and don't forget to add some salt and pepper to taste.
Once the sauce is done set aside and start prepping your mussels.

To cook the mussels you are going to have to preheat your oven to about 475 degrees.
Place mussels with there shell in a baking tray and make sure that they relatively spread out because you want to evenly spice them up.
At this point you are going to add your spices to 2tsp salt, 2tsp pepper, 3tsp garlic powder, 2tsp oregano, and 2tsp chopped parsley.  After you have spiced your mussels add the marinara sauce and cover completely. Place tray in oven and bake for 25 minuets.  The sauce will absorb all the juices from the mussels and the shells.
When plating add shells and the sauce right on top also grab yourself some hearty Italian bread so you can dip into the sauce as you eat.
As an aside if you want your mussels hotter add red pepper flakes and some chili powder before adding the marinara.  Have fun with this it is a great dish for appetizers or dinner.