posted by Maree 03-19-101 8:08 AM
Moules Mariniere:
The recipe is adapted from: Carrier, R. “Great Dishes of the World”, Sphere Books, London, 1981. No ISBN provided.
48 mussels (these are the ‘black’ rather than the ‘green-lipped NZ mussels which are much larger than the black variety);
4 shallots (eshallots- small brown onion-type)
1 tab. butter
1/2 pint (300ml/ 10 fl.oz) dry white wine
2-3 tabs. finely chopped parsley
2 springs thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tabs butter
1 tab. flour (all-purpose)
Saute finely chopped shallots in butter ‘til transparent but not coloured. Add wine, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and freshly ground pepper to taste and gently simmer for about 10 mins.
Wash, scrape & beard mussels. Add to wine and herb mix. Cover saucepan and steam, shaking all the time until shells open (the NZ Mussels may be open all the time. The thing to watch for is those mussels that refuse to open. Discard them immediately. They are ‘bad-uns’ or not worth the risk.
Remove top shells and arrange in large, deep, heated serving platter. Keep warm
Reduce cooking liquor by half original volume and thicken by adding a beurre manie , made by creaming together 2 tabs butter and 1 tabs. flour (all-purpose). Correct seasoning and pour over mussels. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up the wonderful juices (or serve them in soup/pasta bowls) and provide generous napkins. This isn’t a dish to pick at delicately. It’s a really messy, scrummy, ‘get into it’ dish (which probably explains why my son likes it so much- he has a legitimate excuse to be messy at the table). Oh, and an extra plate for the discarded shells wouldn’t go astray, either. Enjoy!
PS. You could experiment by adding chopped tomatoes etc once you’ve tried the original.