Mussel Mania

Okay so here’s my contribution to cooking flippantly…very Zen.

Mussels with Stilton - for Julie

2 or 3 Shallots, chopped
1 or 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
White wine, enough to cook the mussels and provide a base for the dipping sauce, ½ a bottle? A Bottle?
About 1lb of mussels, cleaned and debearded…when you wash them they should all close up...whichever ones don’t close are probably dead, so throw them out.
Heavy cream – don’t try to skimp on this, because it’ll break apart the thinner it is. Use what you feel enriches the sauce without causing instant coronaries.
Stilton cheese – crumble into chunks…probably a ½ pound to a pound depending on how many mussels you buy.

In a large frying pan that has a lid, sauté the shallots and garlic in a little olive oil, don’t let them brown. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and add the mussels - cover with a lid to steam them. Check back in a few minutes and if they’re all open to the world, pour in the cream and stir. Let simmer a few more minutes then throw the stilton over the whole heap and allow to melt a little. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Pull off the heat and serve – right in the pan if you like.

Make sure you have beautiful, crusty bread sliced up for dipping.
Have a wonderful weekend and great eats.

Thanks to NOAA for the mussel pic - http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02mexico/logs/oct17/media/mussels.html