Conference turris::cooks

    
    My favoriate way to have mussels, which is now a delicious habit I've
    come to love is steamed:
    
    1 heaping Tablespoon crushed garlic (the store-bought can isn't bad,
    it's kind of nice because it's sweet and adds a nice flavor....)
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1/2 C dry vermouth
    
    Steam the mussels in this mixture, cook for 4-5 minutes after they
    open.
    
    Contrary to popular belief, this does not make the mussels tough, and
    it does protect you from any bacteria that may be living in the
    mussels, a growing concern among avid shellfish eaters like myself.
    
    I eat these with toast points grilled with butter and topped with
    garlic, aspic, basil, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
    
    -Lisa
    

	The first time I got the courage to eat mussels was only a few
	months ago, and I'm sorry I waited so long to try them; they're
	delicious!!

	We had them at the Green St. Grill in Cambridge, steamed in Bass
	Ale and served with julienned carrots and strips of fennel.  YUM!
	You can steam them in wine and garlic too.  Make sure you eat the
	broth using an empty mussel shell as the spoon!

	I have also seen recipes for warm mussel salad (dunno where!),
	and marinated mussels.  For the marinated mussels, first cook
	them by steaming and then marinate them in a vinegar/oil type
	marinade.

	Cara

    Take a basic pasta and clam sauce recipe and substitue mussels for the
    clams.  Throw a bunch of cleaned mussels into a pot of spaghetti sauce
    during the last few minutes of cooking.

    Steam them in white wine with some chopped onions - tasty!  And mussels
    tend to be real cheap, even compared to steamers.
    
    /Charlotte

to add to .-1, add a good dollop of pesto, too.

	The mussles I had the other night seemed bitter. I cooked them with
a can of Bud Dry beer and alittle garlic. Do I have to scrub them first ?
What kind of white wine should I use. I'm not a cook and am restricted to
cooking steamers and mussles only when alone !

	Thanks,
	-Steve-

You should scrub and de-beard mussels.  The beard is a clump of fibers that 
stick out the side of the shell.  The mussel uses it to anchor itself on 
rocks.  Give it a good pull, and it should come out.  Then scrub the mussel 
under cold running water.

I prefer a medium dry white, not to fancy, like a Soave Bolla.

    
    RE: wine for cooking mussels
    	
    	Julia recommends a dry white French vermouth.
    
    

    Here's a mussel recipe from my St. Edward the Confessor Parish
    Cookbook: 
    
    
    			Mussels a la Prisco
    
    
    4 lb. fresh mussels			1 full glass white table wine
    4 large garlic cloves		1 whole hot pepper
    1/2 c. olive oil			1 lb. linguini pasta
    1/2 c. fresh Italian parsley
    
    Mussels must be fresh, cleaned, and scrubbed.  Remove the beard. 
    (Fresh mussles close up when you sqeeze them.  Discard the ones that
    stay open!)
    
    In a large pot, pour contents of oil and choped up garlic cloves, along
    with hot pepper (put in hot pepper whole or it may be too hot).  Cook
    on medium high heat until just before garlic turns light brown.  Put in
    drained mussels and cover pot for about 5 minutes.  Remove cover and
    stir mussels with a sturdy spoon.  Add parsley and contents of glass of
    white wine.  Close cover and steam for an additional 7 to 10 minutes,
    or until mussels are completely open.
    
    Meanwhile, in separate pot, have boiling water ready for linguini
    pasta.  Cook until al dente; drain and place in separate dishes.  Pour
    on juice from the pot of mussels.  Add shelled mussels and cheese to
    taste.  Makes 4 to 5 servings.
    
    		[recipe by Prisco and Barbara Vozzella]

    Here's another mussel recipe, this time from the Martha Stewart Quick
    Cook Menus cookbook:
    
    
    			Warm Mussel Salad
    
    
    6 shallots, peeled and finely minced
    2 TBS (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
    1 bottle dry white wine, preferably Sauvignon Blanc
    2 quarts fresh mussels, well scrubbed and cleaned
    
    Dressing:
    (makes 1 1/2 cups)
    
    2 TBS Dijon mustard
    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    3/4 c. olive oil
    juice of 1/2 lemon
    1/4 c. heavy cream
    1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat Italian parsley
    salt and freshly ground pepper
    
    1.  In a large covered kettle, saute the shallots in the butter until
    tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and bring to a
    boil.
    
    2.  Put the mussels in the kettle, cover, and return to a boil.  Cook
    for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the kettle every minutes or so.  Remove all
    open mussels at this point and continue to cook another minute or two
    until the remaining mussels have opened.  (Discard any that have not
    yet opened.)  Place the cooked mussels in a large serving bowl.
    
    3.  Combine all ingredients for the dressing and whisk until thick,
    creamy, and well blended.  Drizzle the dressing over the hot mussels,
    toss to coat completely, and serve.

    From the [Seattle] Eastside Journal-American:
    
    MUSSELS BAKED WITH POTATOES AND TOMATOES
    
    3 lbs. fresh mussels		1 lb.  small red potatoes
    6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil	Small amount of add'l olive oil
    3 Tbs. chopped parsley		1 Tbs. chopped garlic
    1/4 C. freshly grated Parmesan	1/4 C. bread crumbs
    Freshly ground black pepper		10 oz. fresh ripe plum tomatoes
    Add'l Parmesan and bread crumbs	Salt to taste
    
    Steam mussels.   Boil potatoes.
    
    Remove mussels from shells.   Peel potatoes and slice in large chunks.
    
    Drizzle a light layer of extra olive oil on bottom of flat casserold
    dish.   Spread potato slices in dish.
    
    Mix mussels, Parmesan, bread crumbs and the 6 Tbs. olive oil, parsley,
    garlic, salt and pepper.   Spread on top of potato layer.   Slice
    tomatoes and layer on top.
    
    Mix a couple of tablespoons Parmesan and breadcrumbs and sprinkle on
    top.   Drizzle with additional olive oil as desired.   Baked at 450
    degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, until heated through and topping browns
    lightly.
    
    A glass of wine, a loaf of [French or Italian] bread, [a tossed green
    salad,] and [...you almost don't need the] Thou.

    
    	Here's a quick mussel recipe that's a favourite starter of mine.
    
    1lb Mussels
    2 cloves of garlic
    1 medium onion
    Dry white wine 
    Some chopped parsley
    
    
    Chop the garlic and onion and fry in some olive oil for about 30secs. 
    Add the wine (make sure to taste plenty to make sure its OK) and simmer
    for about 5 mins, add the parsley and continue to simmer.  Now put the
    mussels in a pan and fry till they open, put them in a deep soup type
    bowl, pour over the wine stuff and Voila....
    
    	Perfect for a starter to a seafood coures. Serves 2.
    fry until they open
    
    

Mmmm, yes, that's a delicious recipe. To all of the above recipes which
consist basically of sauteing mussels in oil/butter, wine, and
shallots/onions/..., add a tbs or two of anise-flavored spirits (e.g.,
Pastis, Pernod, Ricard, etc) for an amazing, but subtle effect. Very
"Marseillais".

    	A not so well know Irish recipe for Mussels is:-
    
    Bring to the boil a large pot of water. Throw in some chopped onion,
    basil and chopped nettles, yes, nettles. About half cup will do fine.
    Then add a shake of salt and milled black pepper and some finley
    chopped garlic. Now drop in the mussels and cover simmering for 5-10
    min. Before serving pour in half a bottle (1/4) pint of Guinness stout.
    Have the rest of the stout to help you sink the mussels along with some 
    home made brown bread and butter.