Mussels Stuffed With Rice Lemon And Thyme Food

CREOLE MUSSELS WITH RICE

Steps:

• Combine the rice, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, season with salt and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning; cook until the tomatoes start breaking down, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the mussels and season with salt. Cover and cook until the mussels open, 4 to 5 minutes (discard any unopened mussels). Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with salt.
• Fluff the rice with a fork and divide among bowls. Top with the mussels and broth; sprinkle with parsley.

HOMEMADE STUFFED MUSSELS WITH AROMATIC RICE; MIDYE DOLMA

Steps:

• Place the currants in a bowl, cover with warm water and soak for 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
• Place the rice into a sieve and rinse well under cold running water. Drain the rice and set aside.
• Make the stuffing first (you can also make the stuffing a day ahead of time). Heat the oil in a medium sized pan and stir in the onions. Sauté over medium to high heat for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the pine nuts to the onions, sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the rice, currants, chopped tomato, tomato paste, spices and season with salt to your taste. Pour in the hot water (about 240 ml/ 8 fl oz. / 1 cup) and combine all well. Bring to the boil then cover to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Rice will be "al dente" and still have a bite to it. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Once cool, stir in the chopped dill and parsley to the aromatic rice and combine well. Check the seasoning and add more salt or ground black pepper if you'd like. Set aside to cool. You can cook this delicious aromatic rice a day ahead of time and keep in the fridge, covered. This really helps the flavors to blend in and phase your cooking time wise.
• Now, open the mussels. If you've bought the mussels in a vacuum bag, open the bag over a bowl to catch any liquid inside. Place the mussels in a large bowl and rinse under cold water. Scrub the shells clean and scrape off any dirt. Using a blunt knife, carefully force the point of the knife into the gap at the pointy end of each mussel (if opening the shells become challenging, soaking them in warm water helps to open the shell, as it relaxes the mussels). Slice through the meat so the shell opens with half the meat attached to each half shell - once you cut through the thick, round connecting muscle at the bottom of the mussel, it will be easy to open.
• Pour the juice from the mussel to a bowl. Snip off the beards and using your finger, remove any grit at the base. Spread the half shells to tear the muscle of the mussel, but leave the two halves connected. Put about 2 tsp. of stuffing into the middle of each mussel (try not to overfill) and push the half shells together again.
• Place the mussels on a wide heavy pan, with the tips pointing outwards towards the edge of the pan, with the shells slightly overlapping (to prevent them opening). Build a tight spiral of shells in the center of the pan. There should be one layer of mussels, so if you have mussels left over, use another pan to keep on the layering. Place a wide plate over the mussels to prevent them from opening too wide while they cook.
• Strain the mussel juice through a sieve lined with a double layer of muslin (cheese cloth) three times to remove any grit. Mix the mussel juice with water, make it up about 250 ml/ 9 oz. / generous 1 cup water (have another 1 cup of water ready if you are using two pans). Pour this mixture to the pan; the water level should only reach to the half of the shell. Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove the mussels from the heat and leave to cool at room temperature. Then cover and keep them in the fridge for 30 minutes - 1 hour to cool further and for the flavors to settle. Serve stuffed mussels with aromatic rice, midye dolma on a big platter with lemon wedges by the side. They are best enjoyed eating with your hands, using the top shell to scoop the mixture out of the bottom shell, with a generous squeeze of lemon over the mussel with aromatic rice.

LEMON AND GARLIC STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• 1. PLACE mussels in large skillet without water. Cover and cook over medium heat, removing the mussels to a warm platter as they open. Discard any that do not open.
• 2. REDUCE liquid in the skillet to about 2 or 3 tablespoons. Return mussels to skillet. Sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Heat for 1 minute.
• 3. SERVE immediately with crusty bread for dunking.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH LEEKS, GARLIC, THYME, WHITE WINE, AND BUTTER

Steps:

• Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

MUSSELS STUFFED WITH RICE, LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Steam the mussels (see recipe). Measure the broth and add enough water to make 1 cup. Place this liquid in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat so the liquid simmers slowly, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Place the rice in a bowl.
• Preheat a broiler. Remove the mussels from the shells. Separate 20 half-shells and wash them. Coarsely chop the mussels and add them to the rice. Stir in the thyme, lemon rind, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture among the cleaned mussel shells. Place the stuffed mussels under the broiler until hot, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

LEMON-RICE STUFFED SALMON

Steps:

• Rinse fish.
• Remove head and tail, if desired.
• Set fish aside while preparing stuffing.
• Heat butter in frying pan; add celery and mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes.
• Add seasonings, water and lemon juice.
• Bring to a boil and mix in uncooked rice.
• Add green onions and pimiento.
• Cover stuffing; remove from heat and let stand about 5 minutes.
• Pat fish dry and fill cavity with stuffing.
• Wrap fish in foil.
• Place in a shallow baking pan.
• Bake in a 400ºF oven about 30 to 40 minutes, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork.
• Remove upper skin and bones, if desired.
• Garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

MUSSELS WITH SHALLOTS AND THYME

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sautéuntil softened, about 10 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaves, wine, clam juice and cream; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add mussels, cover and simmer until mussels open, about 7 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Using tongs, divide mussels among bowls. Season broth with salt and pepper. Ladle broth over mussels.