This would be a refreshing Appetizer to surprise your guests when they come for dinner. Try it and you will enjoy it as well.
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/2″ lemongrass piece, smashed
- 3/4 cup leeks, cleaned well and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno chili, diced, seeds removed
- 1 tbsp. grated garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 lbs. fresh mussels
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
- 1 Crusty loaf of bread
The first thing to make is your sauce. Heat a 5 quart casserole over medium heat and peel off the first 2 layers of the lemongrass and smash a little to release the juices. Add to the pot with all the leeks. Next add the chili and cook until the leeks are tender. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
Add the grated garlic and cook for just a minute. Now add the wine and cook until the liquid has reduced by one half.
Add the corn and cream to the pan, season with the salt and pepper and simmer only for about 5 minutes or until the corn is tender and the sauce will coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
In a blender, remove close to one half of the sauce and process until just at the chunky stage and return it the pot. Add the mussels and cook for about 6-8 minutes, making sure to shake the pot occasionally.
Remove any mussels that have not opened up and discard. Portion the mussels equally into bowls and spoon the extra sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with crusty bread.
Yup, you did it again!
Classic Belgian Mussels
At breakfast we were taking about the different places we have been to and Don recalled, with a gleam in his eye, about the mussels he had (many times) in Belgium. This is what everyone drooled over while consuming them.
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 small shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 4 lbs. mussels, scrubbed and debearded. Be sure to discard any that remain open when tapped
- 1 1/2 cups Belgian beer
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup crème fraiche
- 3 sprigs flat leaf parsley. Stems removed and chopped
- 1 baguette, sliced
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme and sweat until the shallots are translucent.
Add the mussels, beer and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Make sure the lid is tight.
Remove the lid and add the crème fraiche. Cover again and cook for no longer than 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
Stir in the parsley and taste the broth. If needed, add a pinch more salt and pepper. Mussels release a salty brine naturally.
Serve in a 4 large bowls with sliced baguettes on the side for dipping.
Enjoy!
If you really want to do it up the European way, make your own thinly sliced French fries. Cook them twice. This way they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Together: heaven or as one lady we were watching looked like, the angels were singing to her with each bite.
Seafood Risotto In One Pot
Well, after two days off …not really, transplanting some pot-bound indoor plants and watching them sigh a big sigh of relief, here it is..Monday morning. So..I absolutely love risotto and this is for the hard-core seafood diner. Trust me!
- 2 tbsp. virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 1/2 tsp. saffron
- 1 pound orzo
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 12 mussels
- 16-18 shrimp. deveined
- 1/2 lb. squid rings
- 1 lb. small clams
- 1 lb. meaty white fish, cut into chunks
- flat leaf parsley leaves for garnish
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and fennel, stirring until just starting to brown. (3 minutes), add the tomato paste and season with a little salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly for 2 more minutes. Stir in the vermouth and saffron and cook for 1 minute.
Add the orzo and now, using a large ladle, add the clam juice and broth, stirring constantly until the orzo is el dente and the liquid is almost all absorbed. Add the shrimp, squid and baby clams into the pot, stirring under to cover the seafood. Stir gently for about 5 minutes until the seafood is cooked through. Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently tuck under the orzo and cook about 5 minutes more. Let stand for five minutes before serving and sprinkle some of the smaller parsley leaves over.
In warm bowls, ladle out the orzo. If you wish put a few wedges of lemon/lime on the table and let everyone help themselves.
You may need a whip to hold the guests back and stop the neighbours from breaking down your door just to taste this. Enjoy!
Spicy Mussel Chowder
This is quite similar to clam chowder but has been spiced up with a Thai curry.
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lbs. mussels
- 1 tbsp. Crisco oil
- 1 cup diced red potatoes
- 1 cup diced fennel
- 1 cup sliced leeks (cut in half horizontally first and rinse well)
- 1/2 tsp. Thai red curry paste
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
Bring the stock to a boil and add the mussels. Shake pan and cover until the mussels open up. Discard any that do NOT open. Remove the mussels from the shell and reserve. Reserve the broth in a separate bowl.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the potatoes, fennel and leeks and saute for 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook a further minute. Pour in the mussel cooking broth and bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 14-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Add the mussels and cream to the pot and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and ladle into soup bowls. Top with the chopped parsley.
Oh, be sure to have a chilled bottle of Riesling on hand. Perfect together.
Caesar Mussels And Toast Frites
This is a much lighter version than what is served in Belgium, but it is pretty good jut the same. Wonderful lunch on the patio.
This will serve 4 people, so just adjust the amounts for 6-8 people.
- 4 slices brown bread
- 2 lbs. mussels
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 celery stalk, ribs cleaned and finely chop
- 1 1/2 cups Clamato juice
- 1/4 cup Vodka
- 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
- 1 large tomato, seeded and finely diced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread in 1/2 inch thick ‘frites’ and spread out on a baking sheet. Toast for 5 minutes. and turn over and continue baking for another 5 minutes.
Rinse and scrub the mussels under cold water. Remove the beards, discard any that do not close. Heat a large pot and add the oil and celery. Stirring continually for 1 minute then add the Clamato juice, vodka, worchestershire and tabasco. Cook for 5 minutes and add the mussels.
Cover the pot and cook for 7-9 minutes, discarding any that do not open.
Divide equally in 4 bowls, spooning the broth over and sprinkle the chopped tomato and celery leaves over the top. Serve with the toasted ‘frites’ on the side.
Don’t be surprised when they hold up their bowls saying ‘more please’. Oh yeah, try serving with a Belgian beer. Just sayin’.
Mussels With Smoked Tomato Broth
When we were in Belgium, Don absolutely loved the Mussels or Moule as they were called. This is a recipe very similar to what he enjoyed.
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup diced fennel
- 1 tsp. fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika (Hungarian is the best)
- 2 cups canned roma tomatoes
Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and fennel and saute until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a further 30 seconds. Add the paprika and stir to mix well. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Mussels
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 shallots, sliced thin
- 1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
- 2 lbs. Mussels (Salt Spring, if you can buy them)
- 1/2 cup Chardonnay
Add the olive oil to a heated medium size pan. Add the garlic, shallots and saute for a minute. Add the mussels and continue to saute for another minute. Now add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the tomato broth you just made and quickly bring to a boil. Let simmer until the mussels have opened up. Any that do not open, discard. Serve with warmed focaccia bread and, of course, a glass of wine.
When you and your guests waddle away from the table, you will only hear praise to the chef. Yup! You did it again.
Onion Soup With Mussels (Moules) And Beer
While on vacation with Don’s daughter, Carole in Antwerp, Don had a feast of Moules et Frites and thought I should share a recipe similar to what he had. His mouth still waters at the thought of it.
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 3 onions, sliced thinly
- pinch of salt
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 cup good strong beer
- 2 lbs. mussels, cleaned and rinsed
- 1/2 baguette, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated
In a large frypan, melt the 4 tbsp. butter and cook the onions down for about 20 minutes, stirring often until softened and beginning to brown. (wipe the tears if you have to). Season with salt, reduce temperature to low and continue cooking a further 10 minutes again, stirring often. Deglaze with the vegetable stock and set aside.
While the onions are cooking, heat the remaining butter in a large pot on high heat. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds and add the beer and cook for 1 minute. Add the mussels, cover and cook for 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels have opened. Discard any that are broken or have not opened. Set aside 12 mussels in their shell and when the rest are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells, reserving them separately.
Add the onions and stock to the cooking liquid, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Place the bread slices on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with the mozzarella cheese and broil for 1 minute until melted and browning.
Reheat the shelled mussels in the soup. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls, place 3 mussels in the shell in each bowl, and top with a mound of the grated Parmesan cheese and set a slice of the cheese toast on the side of the bowl.
If you like mussels, you are going to LOVE this soup.
Gena and Don’s Seafood Paella
A few years ago, our friend Gena was out for a visit and, after pouring her a glass or two of white wine, the two of them started to invent. This is basically what transpired. Me? I set the table and watched and just listened to these two. Believe me, this was an education. More laughter than a comedy club.
- 3 tbsp. Spanish olive oil
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 1/2 tsp. sweet Spanish smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 4 oz. Spanish chorizo, sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 cups of fish or chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound manila clams, well washed and purged
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 lb. mussels, well scrubbed and debearded
- 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lobster tails, quartered
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Set a 14 inch paella pan over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season shrimp with 2 teaspoons paprika and pinch of salt. Once oil is hot, sear shrimp, about 1 minute per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and chorizo to pan and sear, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is nicely browned (1 – 3 minutes).
Add onion, garlic and saffron to pan and saute, stirring often, until lightly carmelized – 6 – 7 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Season with the remaining salt and paprika. Add stock to the pan, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook, without stirring, until the rice is no longer soupy but some liquid still remains. Give the rice a stir to loosen and add the clams with their opening edges facing up. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the peas, mussels (again, facing up) and shrimp to the pan and continue and stir if using lobster tails.
Transfer pan to the oven and cook until the clams and muassels have opened and most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is almost cooked through (10 minutes). Remove from the oven, cover and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the garnished parsley.
Oh yeah, be sure to have more wine in the cooler. Now, where did I put my glass? Gena, did you take it?
Mussels With Tomatoes
Right off the bat I will inform you, these things do not enter my mouth. I can’t be drunk enough or dead enough! True. That being said, this recipe, I am told, is the best. Ordinarily Mussels are really good when just steamed but over-the-top when teamed with tomatoes.
- 2 lbs. fresh mussels
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 small zucchini
- Crisco Oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3/4 cup of V8 juice, NOT clamato juice
- 1 tsp. sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup finely shredded fresh basil
Scrub these little babies and remove the beards. Discard any that are open.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions, finely chop the zucchini. Lightly oil a wide saucepan. Set over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. For one minute, stir often. Now add the tomatoes, zucchini, sugar, salt and pepper. Boil gently until tomatoes start to soften and the sauce is thickening.
Once the sauce is thick, add the mussels and cover. Cook these for about 6 minutes. If there are any that did not open, discard. Scoop into bowls, ladle some sauce over and add some warm crusty bread to sop up all the juices. Sprinkle some shredded basil over top.
Order lots of wine and go for it. Enjoy! See, I can be good every once in a while and share something I don’t happen to care for.