This is an homage to our recent trip to Portugal. We brought some Portuguese chorizo back with us and used it in this Anthony Bourdain recipe from, once again, the Les Halles Cookbook.
Have I mentioned you need to buy this book yet? Have I told you yet that everything we have made out of it is a knockout?
I love the simplicity of mussels. They are quick to prepare. There are always relatively few ingredients to work with. The delivery on flavor always seems to be there, no matter how I have them.
We get really fresh mussels from a local seafood restaurant (Loch Fyne) and that always works out well. Get yourself some crusty bread and a nice glass of white wine to go with this... you have to open a bottle to cook with anyway! The better the chorizo you buy, the happier you are going to be. And good, fresh herbs make ALL the difference. The broth it leaves behind makes for UNBELIEVABLE dipping with that crusty bread. This serves 2, but you could buy twice as many mussels (to serve 4) and it would still work without having to reproportion everything.
¼ cup olive oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 ounce chorizo picante, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 kg mussels
knob of butter (optional, but highly recommended)
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
In the large pot, heat the oil, add the onion, and cook until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and the chorizo and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the wine. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the mussels and cook with the lid on until all the mussels are open, 8 to 10 minutes. Shake. Add the cilantro and parsley. (If you want, boost with a knob of softened butter.) Shake again.
Serve with Portuguese country bread on the side, or with a thick-crusted Italian or French bread.
No comments:
Post a Comment