ignatz (05/10/83)
This little tidbit will do nicely on a Saturday night with a decent bottle of Pouilly Fuisse and the right company. Trust me. (For those of us who don't live where you can get your daily iodine intake by taking a deep breath of the shore breezes, take heart. Mussels are very cheap, even inland, and are even beginning to appear in Jewels. For the Chicago set, however, I strongly recommend Burhop's, at their new location around Chicago and LaSalle. But of course you already know this, Gentle Diners...) With thanks to Burhop's for the basic recipe...before twiddling. Mussels Marinara Ingredients ----------- 4 Tomatoes, peeled and seeded (HINT: To easily peel tomatoes, blanch for ~1-3 minutes in boiling water) 3 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar 1/8 tsp. salt 1/3 lb. parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp. Julienned fresh basil 1 Cup white wine (lean toward a drier white) 2 Tbsp. shallots 1/2 Cup thyme 20 mussels 1 clove garlic (optional) Procedure --------- Chop peeled and seeded tomatoes into a puree. Add red wine, vinegar, salt, and basil. Mix and refrigerate. Clean mussels by rinsing thoroughly, scraping off barnacles and removing beard threads that protrude from the side of the shell. Heat wine, thyme, and shallots in a deep saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. (If you elect to use the clove of garlic, crush--do NOT mince--and add to the wine at this point.) Once the liquid is steaming, add mussels and cover again. The mussels will open in less than three minutes. Once open, remove top shell and place the cooked mussels on a baking sheet. Spoon a teaspoon of tomato mixture onto mussels and top with a pinch of parmesan. Place the prepared mussels under a hot broiler until cheese browns. Serve immediately. 4 servings as an appetizer; 2 as main course.