Flex Your Mussels!

For Ben’s Day Wednesday this week, we decided mussels were exactly what the doctor ordered. By the time the dust settled, we had a whole meal of small bites: arugula salad, fresh pineapple chunks, strawberries, bread, frittata, and… drumroll… mussels!

We don’t have mussels all that often, but when we do, they always make us feel rich. Honestly, the 2 pound bag was only $7.00, but when you grow up in the Great Plains, the Southwest, or any other land locked location, seafood of any kind feels like luxury. In the winter, we are likely to make them with a tomato sauce and pasta, but this time we listened to our inner mussel sensei. Be one with the bivalve.

Mussels

1. Clean mussels.
2. Heat olive oil or butter over medium-high heat and add garlic, onion or shallots, plus salt or pepper.
3. Add liquid (1/4” or more) white wine, beer, broth, or cider. Add herbs, maybe tomato paste, and mussels.
4. Steam with lid on 5 minutes, or until mussels are mostly open.
5. Remove mussels to bowl.
6. To pan sauce, add cream, creme fraiche, and/or Dijon mustard. Cook a minute, and pour over mussels.
7. Serve with crusty bread.

(We used white wine, thyme, dijon, and cream. The mussels were “delightful” according to Ben.)

Both main dishes tonight relied less on an exact recipe than on judgement. We’ve got lots of that. Nobody judges like us (me). The frittata may sound familiar if you are a a long-time reader, but it is marvelously versatile.

Frittata

2 potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

8 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup grated cheese

Cook potato in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in large, oven-proof skillet, and sauté peppers and onions until tender, about 6 minutes. Add potato, garlic, and oregano, and sauté a minute.

Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over vegetables in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until eggs are set around edges, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Heat broiler. Place skillet in broiler 4-5 inches from heat. Cook until cheese is melted and just brown, about 2 minutes.