Succulent Mussels with Green Salad

There's a specialty food store near me called Browne Trading Company. It is a wonderful place for foodies- they have a wide selection of wines, fancy cheeses, chocolates, giant pints of heavy cream, gourmet sauces, and fresh fish. I mean really fresh- when I need sushi grade, they're my go-to source. (You can buy some of the products online too!)

I was there last week to get the chocolate for the disaster candies and picked up some fresh salmon as well as a bag of freshly harvested mussels. They lived in the fridge uncovered for a couple of days and then we enjoyed them last Friday. WOW- these were amazing mussels; fresh, flavorful, and huge! Adam thought these were hands down the meatiest mussels he'd ever eaten.
I used a recipe that I made once before and it was just as delicious as the first time. The meal felt very French to me- mussels cooked in wine and garlic, a simple green salad with goat cheese, and a loaf of fresh bread for soaking up the yummy broth. If you like mussels, you'll love this recipe!


French Inspired Mussels
From AllRecipes.com

• 3/4 Lbs.+ Fresh Mussels
  
• 3 Giant Cloves of Garlic, minced
  
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 3 Stalks Green Onion, chopped
  
• 3 Roma/ Plum Tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 C. White Wine
  
• 1 C. Plain Parsley, chopped
  
• 1 Loaf of French Bread, for dipping!

1. Soak the live mussels in cool water for 10-15 minutes to wash off grit. Pull off the beards and give the shells a rub down to make sure they are clean.
   
2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic until just tender.
   
3. Add in the onions and tomatoes and continue to saute until the tomatoes are soft and start to reduce some.
   
4. Pour in the white wine, stir, and heat to boiling. Let the mixture boil for 5-10 minutes until the liquid reduces by a third/ half. Add in the parsley.
   
5. Gently place the clean mussels into the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. The mussels will be done when the shells open. If there are mussels that don't open, don't eat them- throw them out.
   
6. Serve in a bowl with broth and a few slices of bread for sopping.

Simple Green Salad

• Mixed Herbs and Greens
  
• Cucumber, sliced
  
• Herbed Soft Goat Cheese
  
• Dijon Mustard Dressing

1. Toss the greens and cucumber together, or arrange on plate together.
   
2. Crumble/ mush pieces of goat cheese on top.
   
3. Drizzle with a hint of Dijon dressing on top. Yum!