MUSSEL BOUND

Rustic and romantic was the theme of our anniversary weekend menus. I used french cookbooks as my inspiration and of course got stuck on Ina’s Barefoot in Paris. Her Mussels in White Wine Sauce felt very rustic; eating them requires no utensils. And the mussels felt romantic; what’s more intimate than two people sharing a single bowl of shellfish? The best part of this meal, besides enjoying it with my husband, is soaking toasted french bread in the buttery wine broth- sinful.

MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE SAUCE
adapted from Barefoot in Paris

You Will Need:
2 pounds of mussels and/or clams
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ounces canned plum tomatoes
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup white wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Note: I combined mussels and clams because the store only had 1 pound of mussels. It was the perfect combo!

Soak mussels and flour in a bowl full of water for 30 minutes. This lets them disgorge any sand.
Drain the mussels.
Remove the “beard” from each with your hands.
Scrub the mussels under running water if they are dirty.
Discard any mussels that are open or whose shells are not tightly shut.

Heat butter and oil in a stockpot over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, wine, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.

Add the mussels to the boiling broth.
Cover the pot.
Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened.
Shake the pot, with the lid on, a couple times during cooking to prevent burning.
Discard any mussels that didn’t open.
Toast your bread (drizzle with some olive oil or butter)!

Pour mussels and broth in to a shallow bowl.
Serve with the toasted baguette and a glass of white wine.

Tagged as: Mussels in White Wine Sauce