Pumpkin and Spice

 I think it's pretty fair to say that learning how to cook mussels and clams has changed my life. A bold statement, I know, but it's true. Less than a year ago, I had never cooked mussels before. I'd eaten them, but cooking them seemed daunting. Then, we made them one night in class and they were so quick, so simple that I couldn't believe I'd never done it before.

While maybe not a busy weeknight meal, they are an ideal date night meal. As I have mentioned, I like my date night meals to be simple to prepare, but also a little more special than weeknight meals. Mussels have quickly become a date night favorite in our household.

My favorite basic mussel preparation is steamed in white wine and just a few other simple ingredients- minced shallots, minced garlic and red chili flakes. Once perfectly cooked, the mussels are removed and the wine, now flavored with the ocean-y mussel juices is reduced, and a couple handfuls of chopped, seeded tomatoes are added. At this point, you can take your mussels two different ways, depending on your mood. You can reduce the wine waaaay down, swirl in a pat of butter, pour it over the mussels and enjoy it with lots of crusty bread to dip in the sauce. Or, if you'd prefer a pasta reduce the wine, whisk in a slurry of cornstarch and serve the mussels and sauce over linguine noodles.

It's best to purchase your mussels the day you plan on cooking them. I've heard you can do it the day before, but I feel better buying and eating the same day. You'll want to buy your mussels from a reputable vendor- a good fish market, a grocery store with a well maintained fish counter... probably not a guy in a van with a sign that says "Gator Jerky, Shellfish & Boiled P-nuts!" (Yeah, those exist here in Florida...) Pack a cooler with some ice packs in your car to keep the mussels cool on the way home.

Once you're at the fish market, ask the guy behind the counter to let you see a mussel. (Don't worry, he probably won't think you're crazy.) Sniff it- it should smell fresh and ocean-y, not fishy, stinky or like ammonia. If the mussel is closed, gently try to wiggle the top and bottom shells (gently!). They shouldn't be loose or wiggly. If the mussel is open, and it has a little fibrous "beard", give it a little tug. The mussel should slowly close. (If the mussel doesn't have a beard, tapping or flicking the shell will usually cause it to close. If not, the wiggle test works on an open mussel, too.) This ensures that the mussels are fresh and alive.

I usually figure on one pound of mussels per person for an entrée, or about half a pound for an appetizer. Keep the mussels in the cooler on your way home. Once you get home, if the fish market packed your mussels in a paper bag, you can place it in a bowl (to catch leaks.) If they're in a plastic bag, place them in a bowl, open the bag (they need to breathe) and cover them with a lightly dampened paper towel. Then place the bowl on the bottom shelf of your fridge until it's time to cook.

When it's time to start dinner, you'll want to clean the mussels. As I mentioned before, the mussels may have fibrous strands called "beards". To remove them, take a small knife and place it under the beard. Put your thumb on the beard and pull on the beard, trimming it as close to the base a possible (see picture.) You can also use a pair of pliers to pull out the beards.

Once you've removed the beard, rinse the shells under cool running water, lightly scrubbing with your fingers to remove any grit. Place the cleaned mussels in a clean bowl. In the process of cleaning, if you come across any broken or cracked shells, toss them out.

At this point, they're ready to be cooked. You can cook them a variety of ways, but as I mentioned, steaming them in wine is my favorite.

*A note on the wine, then it's on to the recipe, I promise. TV chefs tell you to "cook with a wine you'd drink."  While I agree with this, I think it's a little misleading. While I wouldn't use "cooking wine" (which is low quality and has added salt) or the $4 a gallon jug wine on the bottom shelf at the grocery store, but by the same token, I wouldn't cook with a $90 bottle of Baron Phillipe De Rothschild. Depending on the quantity of wine called for, I'll either sneak a bit from the bottle I'll be serving (or a leftover bottle in the fridge, though that doesn't often happen). If I'll need a significant amount of wine (more than say, a cup), I'll buy a inexpensive bottle. I usually aim for the $6-8 range. For that price, you can get something pretty decent- maybe not a wine that'll alter the way you see the world, but a pretty good one. In this price range, my favorite is Yellow Tail. It's not terribly expensive, it's good quality, and it's pretty good for drinking, too. (I actually like their Merlot quite a bit.)

And now, it's recipe time!

 

Boozy Steamed Mussels with Bread or Pasta
Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as a starter

• 2lbs fresh mussels, cleaned
• 1 shallot minced (or ½ small onion, minced)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1T olive oil
• 1/2T butter
• ½ bottle of white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris/Grigio would be good. As I mentioned, I like using Yellow Tail wines.)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 pinches red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Chopped parsley (optional)

VARIATIONS-
If you want to have a sauce and bread:

• 1-2T butter
• A loaf of crusty bread

If you want to serve it over pasta:

• 1T cornstarch
• 1oz water
• 4-6oz linguine, cooked according to directions (I use Barilla Plus)

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Cook the shallot and garlic with a pinch of salt, until the shallots soften. Add the wine, bay leaves and pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Add the mussels to the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to medium. Set a timer for 5min and allow the mussels to steam. (Don't touch until the timer goes off!) After 5min, remove the lid- the mussels should all be open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If not, put the lid back on for another minute or so. With a pair of tongs, remove the mussels to a dish (bonus points if it's warm!) and cover with a double layer of foil. Add the tomatoes to the wine-broth in the pan and simmer to reduce by about 3/4^ths

If serving with bread, reduce a little bit more, then swirl in the additional butter. Portion the reserved mussels into serving dishes and pour the sauce over. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with bread.

If serving with pasta, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the broth and simmer until thickened. Portion the pasta and mussels onto serving plates and top with the sauce and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Either variation should take no more than 20min to prepare, or 30-40min if you take into account the time for cleaning the mussels. See? So quick and easy! You'll be snuggling with your snookie-poo in no time!

The remaining white wine would make a great accompaniment to the meal, if you don't feel like buying another bottle. If you're wanting to buy a "fancier" wine to drink with dinner, I would suggest the same varietal that you used to cook with. I used a Pinot Gris to cook, so I served the meal with a bottle of Erath Pinot Gris.