River Cottage Mussels with Cider, Green Onions and Bacon

This has to be one of my absolute favourite things to cook and to eat! I love Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall (what a mouthful), he's really an inspiration to me because he's known for his back-to-basics philosophy and I really love his homey, comforting style of cooking.  

 You will need...
    1kg black mussels
    A small knob of butter
      1 tbsp olive oil
        100g streaky bacon, chopped
          1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced
            1 sprig thyme
              1 bay leaf
                250ml medium-sweet cider
                  1 tsp wholegrain mustard
                    2-3 tbsp double cream
                      Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
                        Lots of chopped fresh parsley, to serve

                         Method...

                        1. Scrub mussels and remove the wiry little 'beards' that are attached to the shells. Discard any open mussels that don’t close when given a sharp tap.
                        2. Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the butter and oil. When the butter is foaming, add the bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, thyme and bay leaf and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the green onions soften a little bit.
                        3. Turn the heat up high, pour in the cider and bring to the boil. Stir in the mustard, then tip in the mussels and place a lid on the pan. Steam the mussels for 2-3 minutes, giving the pan a good shake once or twice. When the mussels have nearly all opened stir in the cream.
                        4. Season with salt and pepper and serve in deep bowls, scattered with parsley and accompanied by plenty of bread.

                        http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/mussels-with-cider-green-onions-and-bacon/



                        Comments

                        Post a Comment

                        Popular posts from this blog

                        George Calombaris' Pasticcio (AKA Greek Lasagna)

                        Image
                        Ohhh pasticcio... This recipe gives me so many warm and fuzzies. My mum always used to make it for me when I was younger for special occasions like my birthday and Easter so I associate it with fun times and getting presents and all that good stuff. The one my mum made came from the old faithful Margaret Fulton Cookbook circa late sixties/early seventies... I'm not sure what my Italian mum was doing making Greek recipes written by an Australian cookbook guru but anyway... it must have been en-vogue when the book was written and I'm not complaining because it's delicious. Mum's pasticcio was put together 'lasagna-style' with layers of curly-edge lasagna sheets that would get all crispy and brown on the edges. She would layer the pasta sheets with the tomato and beef sauce and béchamel and then bake it, and it would usually take her a while to prepare. My New Favourite Cookbook! I like this recipe by George Calombaris because it still has all that wo
                        Read more

                        Anna-Maria's Zucchini Slice

                        Image
                        This is Anna-Maria’s Zucchini Slice from Stephanie Alexander’s Cooks Companion …   I’ve tweaked it a little as I’m sure most people do, it’s one of those no-rules recipes where you can customise it as much or as little as you like. I love zucchini because it is such a versatile vegetable (although technically it’s an immature fruit- wiki will tell you it’s a swollen ovary of a zucchini flower… sounds appetising), you can put them in almost anything because they don’t have a very strong flavour, which is great when it comes to hiding veggies from your kids! I’ve even eaten a chocolate cake that had grated zucchini in it and it was one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had- so moist (haha MOIST!) You will need… ¼ cup of olive oil (the recipe says half a cup but you really don’t need that much) 500g zucchini, grated 1 small carrot, grated 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 200gr smoked bacon, finely chopped 100g freshly grated p
                        Read more

                        Beef, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

                        Image
                        You will need... 500gr regular beef mince 1 small brown onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tins chopped Italian tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato paste 250gr ricotta cheese 250gr chopped frozen spinach (you can use fresh if you like), defrosted 1/2 cup grated parmesan 250gr fresh lasagna sheets (or dried cannelloni if you wish) 60gr butter 1/3 cup plain flour 2 cups milk 1 cup grated mozzarella 1/2 cup grated parmesan, extra 1 tsp dried oregano salt & pepper olive oil Method... 1. For the sauce- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frypan and saute the onion and garlic on a medium-low heat until onion is transparent.Add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, fill one tin with water, and add to the pan. Season with salt, pepper and oregano and cook for 35 minutes, uncovered at a gentle simmer. Don't mind the mess! 2. For the bechamel- Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes (
                        Read more