Show Me Your Mussels

I am convinced that Friday nights are the best nights to entertain...they force you to be casual, impromptu, no preplanning, just "hey let's get together and make a feast" kind of nights. You can have a few drinks, and still have Saturday and Sunday to recover, which in my mind is a VERY good thing! :)

My friend Kristy came over and we started to cook. But first a cocktail break...

This is the Peach Basil Martini:





This is a great cocktail that we all enjoyed...a great summer drink that you should try! :)









But I digress...this post is all about the Mussels!

On our way home from work, we stopped at the market to pick up something to make for dinner. We wanted some shrimp, then I noticed the mussels...they were on sale...so I asked Kristy if she had ever cooked them...she said no, so I said...what the heck! We bought a pound each of shrimp and mussels thinking we would just figure it out when we got home.



Fish, shellfish, anykind of fish...I have always been afraid to cook...it isn't cheap, and it is very delicate easily ruined...and that I just couldn't face! :) I love it though! So, I had to start somewhere.

What I didn't realize is fish makes a quick meal...and elegant one, and one that doesn't require lots of planning! I love this.

We found a recipe in the Barefoot in Paris book by Ina Garten...and I just happened to have everything on hand...and off we went to create this FANTASTIC dinner.

Note: This recipe uses all mussels, but we bought 1 lb of shrimp and 1 lb of mussels to make this recipe.

Mussels in White Wine
Barefoot In Paris by Ina Garten
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
3 pounds cultivated mussels
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots (5 to 7 shallots)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1/2 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, drained (4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon good saffron threads
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup good white wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand.





Drain the mussels, then remove the "beard" from each with your fingers. If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren't tightly shut.

In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes, saffron, parsley, thyme, wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.



Add the mussels,



stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don't burn on the bottom.



NOTE: at 8 minutes, we added the peeled, deveined shrimp to the pot to cook for the last 3 minutes.

Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.



Isn't this gorgeous? We served it with fresh lemon slices and toasted garlic ciabatta bread to sop up the delicious broth...so good!




This is an impressive dinner. The flavors are out of this world...tastes like a million bucks. This will be a go to recipe for me from now on. It was so simple and easy, and the results to DIE FOR! :) I know I say that a lot, but it is so true...this is a delicious recipe. If you are a virgin shellfish cooker, give this one a try, you won't be sorry!

My NYE Table Setting

This is a little late, but I wanted to document this table I set for New Years Eve. I shared a quiet nite in with my hubby. We had an AWESOME time together!

This is my table...I went with a silver theme...and pulled some of the silver ornaments I had hanging on the tree to dress the table, some little glass marbles (i love these) reflective surfaces, white dishes...total shine!





I picked up 2 porterhouse steaks, and just salt and peppered them and thru in some thinly sliced garlic:


Then I made my favorite steak accompaniment..sauteed mushrooms and shallots in a red wine reduction...SO GOOD!


I picked up some chicken base for a recipe, and saw there was also a beef base...similar to boullion, but a much deeper flavor. I used a little in here which helped the color and made them so delicious and meaty.



I roasted some potatoes with salt, pepper, olive oil and whole cloves of garlic (still in the skin) and I also roasted some asparagus...if you have never tried this, do it...they are delicious! I also did a little surf and turf by grilling up some jumbo shrimp that I had marinating in lemon zest and olive oil.



This was WAY too much food, we only really ate 1/2 of the steaks, mushrooms and asparagus...but it was all really yummy! I used the left over potatoes in a breakfast disn the next morning!





I find I spend a lot of time trying to make lots of other people happy...and this year, I am going to take more time out for me and the people I love the most...make it special, even if it is just the two of you! It is so worth it! :) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

So there are no holidays on the horizon to deck the halls for...I have to cook! :) This time, it is enchiladas...green chile chicken...so simple and easy:

I usually buy a rotisserie chicken once a week. We eat 1/2 for dinner one night, and the next night I shred the rest for another meal...this is the perfect recipe for that.

Take your shredded chicken and add it to a saute pan with 1/2 diced onion and a small can of green chile, just until the onions begin to turn translucent:



Add about 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar, you could also use monterey jack...I just have a love affair with cheddar.



In the mean time, take a clean lint free dish cloth...tuck about 5 corn tortillas inside and nuke in the microwave for about 15 seconds...I always work in small batches, because it is easy to just warm up more.

Take a warmed tortilla, and spoon in some of the chicken filling:



Fold each side up over the filling, and lie them seam side down in a baking dish that has been prepped with cooking spray:



Keep rolling, warming more tortillas as you need them. Once the dish is full, use a can of green chile enchilada sauce. and pour over the top of the enchiladas.



Then use another cup of cheese to top the enchiladas, this time I used a mix of cheddar and monterey jack, and another can of green chilies:



Cook in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes until everything is warmed thru and the top is bubbly and golden:



Serve with some refried beans...home made of course, don't you dare buy canned refried beans...I will show you how to make those one day. Trust me you will LOVE THEM! People who say they hate refried beans have only had bad ones! :)



The great thing about green chiles is that it is super mild...no heat at all...just good flavor and cheesy goodness!

Making Fresh Pasta

I took a pasta making class a few months ago at my local Williams Sonoma, and just had to try it at home. My husband found me the rollers online, we opened up some wine, and off we went...here are some pics:

We made to different flavors, a classic fresh pasta:


and a Spinach flavored pasta:


This dough was so easy to make, one in the kitchenaid, and one in the food processor. I don't know why I am so afraid of dough...I just need to be more adventurous in my cooking the payoff is enormous!

The most magical part is cutting the pasta in the rollers, instantly it is pasta!:





I also made some raviolis with a filling I made with sauteed mushrooms, garlic and ricotta:









I haven't tried it since, but I definitely will again. The process was pretty simple. You can even freeze the dough for up to three months, make a big batch and freeze the dough.







There is really nothing like fresh pasta!

Ragout Stew

I saw a Rachel Ray episode where she made a stew using sausage and peppers as the base, then added chicken stock to make it a stew. The recipe began very similar to the way I start my weekly pasta dish:

I use ground turkey everytime
I add a whole sliced onion and 3 cloves garlic finely diced
If I have any zucchini, that goes in, same with bell peppers (only yellow, orange or red, I don't like green very much) and mushrooms. I let all of the veggies cook and get good color on them. I add some crushed red pepper, dried oregano salt and pepper. I then add a can of crushed tomatoes...or jarred pasta sauce.

I let that simmer together on low for while my pasta cooks, then I add it all together and dinner is served.

Anyway, I thought I could take my pasta recipe and make it into a stew like Rachel



To make this stew, I made my sauce as described above...then added chicken stock, a can of corn, a box of elbow macaroni, and to make it more like Pasta Fagioli, a can of white beans. I served it with shaved parmesan on top. This could easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the ground turkey.

So good!