Mussels With Shallots And Thyme Food

ALE-STEAMED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC AND MUSTARD

Steps:

• Rinse mussels under cold running water. If you see hairy clumps around the shell (called beards), use a sharp knife or your fingers to pull them off, then scrub shells well with a vegetable brush.
• In a soup pot with a tight-fitting cover, heat olive oil, then add thyme, garlic, shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until shallots and garlic are softened, 3 minutes. Pour in ale and bring to a simmer. Add mussels and cover pot. Let mussels steam, stirring once or twice, until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mussels to bowls. Discard any that have not opened.
• Add butter, herbs and mustard to pan juices and bring to a boil. Whisk until butter melts, then taste and correct seasonings (add more butter if liquid tastes bitter). Pour over mussels and serve with bread for sopping up juices.

MUSSELS WITH WHITE WINE, GARLIC & CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium-sized heavy-based pot, add the butter and olive oil and sauté the shallots until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and thyme stalks and cook for about another minute but keep stirring to prevent the garlic from going brown.Add the white wine and then the mussels. Put the lid on the pot and steam for about 3 minutes until the shells are open.
• Scoop the mussels and thyme stalks out the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard the thyme and any mussels that have not opened. Add the cream to the pan liquid and allow this to bubble over low heat until the sauce has reduced slightly, and the cream starts to thicken. Add half the parsley and then add the cooked mussels back in and toss around to reheat for a minute or 2.
• Sprinkle over the remaining parsley and serve immediately with the crusty bread and a glass of Chardonnay.

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 DIJONAISE

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan until melted.
• Add the onions, shallots and garlic and cook briefly, until wilted.
• Do not brown.
• Add the mussels, salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, white wine and cream.
• Cover closely and bring to a boil. lower heat to medium.
• Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking to redistribute the mussels.
• Cook until all the mussels are opened.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a serving bowl.
• Keep warm.
• Continue cooking the sauce for a minute, remove bay leaf and the thyme.
• Stir in the mustard with a wire whisk while heating.
• Do not boil.
• Spoon equal portions of the sauce over the mussels and sprinkle with parsley.
• Serve immediately with crusty bread.

MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse the mussels thoroughly and remove the beards.
• In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic, cook until the shallots are transparent and soft, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the mussels and stir well. Next add the herbs and the white wine. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan and steam mussels over high temperature for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mussels start to open - exact time will vary depending on the size of mussels and each stove.
• Once the mussel shells open up, turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, salt/pepper, and additional chopped parsley. Gently stir the mussels from bottom to top so that the sauce and parsley can uniformly spread into all the mussels. If desired you can remove the herbs sprigs and bay leaves.
• Remove the mussels that are still closed. Some mussels partially open, which is fine. You will just need to work harder to open & enjoy these ones. Serve the mussels in large soup plates or bowls. Enjoy the mussels with slices of baguette, plain or toasted/grilled with garlic.
• This dish can be accompanied with white wine, based on your preference. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Viognier types are good ideas. A salad may also be part of the meal.

MUSSELS WITH AQUAVIT, CREAM, AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Throw out any mussels with cracked shells or that did not close when you scrubbed them.
• Heat the butter over medium heat in a pot just large enough to hold the mussels. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes. Add half the tarragon, the thyme, vinegar, fennel seeds, aquavit, and mussels. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cover and let steam for 6 to 7 minutes, until the mussels have opened. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl; discard any that did not open.
• Add the cream to the cooking juices and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until slightly reduced. Season with salt and a little more minced garlic, if desired. Pour the cooking juices over the mussels, sprinkle with the rest of the tarragon, and serve.

MUSSELS WITH THYME AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add shallots and saute' until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Add bay leaves, thyme, vermouth, clam juice and cream.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
• Add mussels, cover and simmer, discarding any mussels that do not open.
• Using tongs, evenly divide up the mussels between bowls.
• Season broth with salt and pepper and ladle over mussels.

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.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH WHITE WINE AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Wash and sort the mussels, pulling off any pieces of protruding beard. Combine the wine, shallots, bay leaf, and thyme in a 10-quart pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat up to high. When steam starts to shoot out from under the lid, turn the heat back down to medium. Leave the pot on the heat for 5 minutes more. Leave the lid on the pot and holding down the lid with a kitchen towel. Shake pot to redistribute the mussels. Put the pot back on the heat for 2 minutes more. Take off the lid and check to see if all the mussels have opened. If not, replace the lid and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the lid, wait a minute for the steam to dissipate, scoop the mussels out of the pot with a large spoon or skimmer, and place them in hot bowls, discarding any unopened mussels. If the liquid in the bottom of the pan is sandy, carefully pour it into a clean saucepan, leaving any sand or grit behind. Add the chopped parsley to the hot broth, whisk in the butter if desired, and season with pepper. Heat the broth for a 1or 2 and ladle it over the hot mussels. Serve slices of crusty bread at the table.