Musselsprovenale Recipes

Steps:

• Wash mussels in several changes of cold water; using a sharp knife, remove beards.
• Soak mussels for about 30 minutes in cold water containing a handful of salt& a handful of flour.
• This will remove any sand inside the mussels.
• In heavy saucepan, heat oil; saute garlic, onion& celery until soft but not brown.
• Add tomatoes& simmer for about 10 minutes to evaporate the remaining liquid.
• Add remaining ingredients (except mussels), cover& simmer for 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, add mussels, cover& simmer for 3- 5 minutes to allow the mussels open.
• Discard any that don't.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and mushrooms, and add the mussels. Season with basil, oregano, and tarragon. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in olives and fresh tomatoes. Cover, and simmer 5 minutes.
• Serve mussels and sauce over pasta.

Steps:

• Broth: In a medium sauce pan, slowly roast 3 cups of shrimp heads and shells in a small amount of oil until crisp and fragrant. Add all ingredients except water. Reduce by 1/4 and add water to cover the shells by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, chill, and reserve.
• Rouille: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and process until foamy, slowly drizzle in the oil until thick, season. You want this thick enough to dollop.
• Mussels: Place the carrots, fennel and leeks in a medium sauce pan with the saffron broth and the mussels. Cover and steam for 2 minutes or until the mussels have opened (discard any unopened mussels.) Remove mussels and divide among 4 service bowls. Add the tomatoes to the vegetables along with the herbs. Reduce for 4 minutes. Mount in the butter and season. Top each bowl of mussels with vegetables and broth. Mound with a generous dollop of rouille and serve with grilled bread.

Steps:

• Clean the mussels: Scrub them well under cold running water. Debeard them, if necessary, pulling out any wiry fronds coming through the seams of the shells.
• In a large pot or deep sauté pan, combine the white wine, half the shallot, and the bay leaf. Place the mussels on top and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat to steam open the mussels, 3 to 4 minutes. You may want to give them a stir after 2 minutes to disperse the heat evenly among the mussels. When the mussels have opened (if there are a few that don't, this is an indication that they are dead or bad - discard them), transfer them to four shallow bowls.
• Strain the cooking liquid, through either a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth, into a clean pan, add the olive oil, remaining shallot, and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the mixture slightly; it will condense to an opaque liquid. Taste. If it's too salty, add a little water. Sprinkle the herbs and spoon the sauce over the mussels. Serve promptly, with a tangy baguette torn into large pieces, which you can use to soak up the broth when you're finished with the mussels.

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, celery, garlic, basil and bouquet garni, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned.
• Mix in the tomato paste and tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Put the mussels in a casserole dish with the wine, over high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes only, until the mussels have opened, stirring frequently to ensure they are evenly cooked.
• Pour off the cooking liquid, discard any mussels that have not opened, and return the opened mussels, in their shells, to the casserole dish.
• Pour the hot tomato sauce over the mussels and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve at once.

Steps:

• Chop whole onion fine.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Saute onion over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, wash, trim, seed and finely chop the whole peppers, mince the garlic, and add both to the onions, continuing to saute.
• Wash and de-beard the mussels.
• Wash, trim and finely chop whole zucchini; add to pot, along with the tomatoes, wine and mussels. Mix well and cover pot. Cook about 4 minutes, until mussels open. Any mussels that do not open should be discarded. Stir in remaining teaspoon of oil. Serve with good crusty bread for dunking.

Steps:

• Scrub the mussels, remove beards and barnacles, and wash in cold water, agitating with the hand; repeat until the water remains clear. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan or kettle. Add garlic, fennel, onions and sweet red pepper, and cook briefly over medium-high heat until wilted. Do not burn garlic. Stir often.
• Add tomatoes, saffron, turmeric, pepper flakes, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes.
• Add mussels and basil. Cover tightly, and cook over high heat until all mussels are opened, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately with French or crusty Italian bread.