Creamy Saffron Mussels Food

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• in a heavy pot with a lid heat olive oil.
• add onions, saffron, salt, stirring occasionally until onions are softened, 5-10 minutes.
• add wine and bring to a boil.
• stir in cream, pepper and mussels.
• cook, covered, until mussels start to open, 6-8 minutes.
• discard any unopened mussels, then stir parsley into finished dish.

CREAMY MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add saffron, if desired, and wine; bring to a boil. Add mussels; cover and cook, stirring once, until mussels open, about 3 minutes. (Discard unopened shells.)
• Remove mussels with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a bowl; cover. Strain cooking liquid; discard solids. Return liquid to pot; bring to a boil. Add cream; reduce to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Divide mussels among 4 bowls. Add sauce; serve.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Put the mussels in a large bowl full of water with a large handful of ice and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Allow to mussels to sit in the liquid for 1 hour to disgorge any sand. Lift mussels out of bowl, leaving flour and sand behind. Scrub and debeard mussels. Discard any which are open and do not close when thumped on the counter.
• In a wide braising pan with high sides, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the stock (or wine or water, as you choose) and the saffron. Add mussels and tomatoes to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook until all the mussels are wide open, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any which fail to open.
• Take the pot off the heat, and stir in the cream. Serve.

ITALIAN MUSSELS & PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it just begins to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add crushed tomatoes and saffron with soaking liquid (the mixture may splatter) and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring mussels and wine to a boil in a Dutch oven (or other large pot) over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until the mussels open, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. (Discard any unopened mussels.)
• Strain the mussel broth through a fine-mesh sieve into the tomato sauce. Stir in crushed red pepper and simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle about half the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Divide the pasta among 4 pasta bowls, top with mussels and spoon the remaining sauce over the mussels. Serve topped with parsley and lemon zest.

MUSSELS WITH LEEKS & SAFFRON

Steps:

• Wash the mussels in a sink of cold water, removing any little beards and scrubbing any barnacles. Tap each one on the side of the sink - if the mussel doesn't close tightly, discard it (also discard any with broken shells). Put the mussels in a colander (in batches) and rinse really well under cold running water.
• Heat the oil in a large pan (or two pans if you don't have one big enough to fit all the mussels). Sauté the leeks for 8-10 mins until softening, then add the garlic and cook for another few mins. Add the bouquet garni, pour over the sherry and wine, sprinkle over the saffron and bring to just under the boil. Stir to help the saffron flavour the wine.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low, then add the mussels and stir. Cover the pan and allow the mussels to cook until they open (this will take about 4 mins), shaking the pan a few times. Remove the bouquet garni. Add the cream, stir and heat through. Taste for seasoning (mussels are always pretty salty, so you shouldn't need to add anything). Scatter over the parsley, then transfer the mussels to a large, warm serving dish or serve them straight from the pan.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH WINE AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge or vegetable brush, then debeard: grip the tough fibers extending from the shell and pull to remove. Discard beards.
• Steep saffron in wine for 10 minutes. (Saffron is soluble in water, not fat, so it won't release its color or flavor if added directly to the butter.) Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a shallow stockpot. Once it's foamy, add shallots, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until shallots are transparent and garlic is soft, about 3 minutes, stirring every so often to keep garlic from scorching. Pour in wine and saffron, then add tomatoes and return to a simmer, stirring once or twice.
• Add mussels and cover tightly. Cook until all mussels open, about 6 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. If using wild mussels, strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve to remove any sand, if necessary. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with parsley before ladling mussels and broth into bowls.

SAFFRON MUSSEL BISQUE

Steps:

• Place saffron threads in a small bowl, and cover with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Set aside.
• Scrub mussels clean in several changes of fresh water and pull off beards. Discard any mussels that are cracked or do not close tightly when tapped. Put mussels into a saucepan with wine and water. Cover and cook over high heat, shaking pan frequently, 6-7 minutes or until shells open. Remove mussels, discarding any which remain closed. Strain liquid through a fine sieve and reserve.
• Heat butter and oil in a saucepan. Add onion, garlic, leek and fenugreek and cook gently 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add saffron mixture, 2-1/2 cups of reserved cooking liquid and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, keep 8 mussels in shells and remove remaining mussels from shells. Add all mussels to soup and stir in chopped parsley, salt, pepper and cream. Heat through 2-3 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired, and serve hot.

MUSSELS IN SAFFRON BROTH

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan over moderate heat, and add 1/2 the onions, salt and pepper. Saute briskly until slightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook and additional minute, then add the white wine and reduce to half. Add thyme, saffron, clam juice or fish stock, and tomato juice and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve.
• Working in batches or in more than one pan, heat the remaining olive oil over high heat and add the remaining onion. Saute briefly, stirring occasionally, until onions are beginning to color, about 4 minutes. Add mussels to pan, keeping them in 1 layer, and saute 1 to 2 minutes, then add a proportionate amount of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce immediately to a simmer and cook, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until all the mussels are opened. Toss in parsley and serve on shallow soup plates with about a cup of broth per serving.

MUSSELS WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• Cut onion halves crosswise into less than 1/16-inch-thick slices with slicer.
• Cook onion with saffron and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and bring to a boil, then stir in cream, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mussels. Cook, covered, checking after 6 minutes and transferring opened mussels to soup bowls with a slotted spoon. (Discard any that remain unopened after 8 minutes.)
• Stir parsley into broth and pour over mussels.