When we lived in Montreal we started a new trend around Christmas with a few friends for dinner. This dinner was based on a theme of mussels. Each couple came with a mussel recipe and a great bottle of wine. One team after the other had to go to the kitchen to prepare their dish and serve it to the guests. While the team was cooking, the rest of us would be relaxing and sipping wine. We started the meal around 8 pm and finished the last mussel dish just before 1 am…I think that was one of the most memorable dinners we had with friends.
Ingredients:
- 30 ml olive oil
- 200 ml chopped celery
- 200 ml chopped green pepper
- 200 ml chopped carrots
- 2 chopped green onions
- 3 chopped garlic cloves
- 250 ml white wine
- 1 kg mussels, washed and brushed
- Salt, pepper, oregano and tarragon to taste
Method:
- In a large casserole, heat oil and add the vegetables
- Sauté medium heat for 5 minutes
- Add wine, mussels and seasoning
- Cover and let simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mussels open. Discard unopened mussels
- Filter the liquid in a colander and keep the mussels in a bowl covered with aluminium foil to keep them warm
- Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce by half
- Pour the liquid over the mussels and serve with some baguette
