Moules (Mussels)

I have always been a big fan of seafood, as a child my Mum always encouraged me to try lots of delicious fish and shellfish that my Grandad and after he'd retired, my Grandads 'contacts' used to bring home from their fishing trips aboard Grimsby (UK) based trawlers (sadly these are few and far -if any remain - between these days).

I was quite a late convert to mussels however, in fact the first time I ate them - other than inadvertently discovered, and inquisitively nibbled a bit, in a seafood soup - was just last year.

Our French neighbour invited us around for Moules et Frites (Mussels & Chips) and not knowing what to expect, went round with a couple of bottles of wine and not a little nervous trepidation.

They were delicious! This recipe is just for the mussels, I'll leave the chips for you to do.

TIP
There is a simple rule of thumb to remember when using Mussels:
Before cooking the shells must be tightly closed - discard any with open shells (if they close when you tap them, they're ok).
After Cooking the shells must be open - discard any that remain closed.

Ingredients. (serves 4)

• 1kg Mussels
• Olive oil - a good slug of it
  
• 3 or 4 golfball sized shallots - halved and thinly sliced - half moons.
  
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed, don't bother peeling them
• 5 or 6 sprigs of thyme (my favourite herb)
• 2 bay leaves
  
• Flat leaf parsley - a good handful, roughly chopped.
  
• Coarse sea salt
• 1 75cl bottle white wine (My mussels are from the Charante Maritime department in France so I use a Charentaise white wine but just use one you like - if it isn't good enough to drink, it isn't good enough to cook with.)

Method.

1. Leave the mussels to soak in cold water.
2. Add the oil to a big, lidded pan (big!), throw in the sliced shallots and garlic and turn on the heat ( I always add garlic to cold oil and then heat it as it can quickly burn and go bitter if added to hot) and gently bring them to a sizzle. The shallots want to be translucent with a slight hint of browning but not browned.
3. Add the thyme, bay and half of the parsley and throw around in the pan a bit. A couple of wooden spoons are useful for this, then add approximately 1/3 of the white wine and bring to the boil.
4. Strain the mussels, discarding any with open shells (see TIP above) and tip them into the pan taking care not to splash yourself with the hot liquid. Place a lid on the pan and gently shake it to slosh that rich liquid around all the mussels.
5. Add the rest of the wine, return to the boil then lower the heat and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes before gently shaking the pan again.
6. Remove the lid, all the mussels should now be open (see TIP) so add the rest of the parsley and the salt.
7. After a couple more minutes serve either into individual bowls or into a big central bowl along with the stock and allow everyone to tuck in along with some crispy chips (fries). The delicious stock can be mopped up with crusty bread or served separately as a soup.

Enjoy :O)

This meal can be served as a main course or as a starter (without the chips).

Pan Griddled Steak & Wild Mushrooms

Here's a pretty quick and easy steak dish that requires very little advance preparation. Great served with chips (fries) or a nice green leafy salad and a robust red wine, perhaps a Vin de Pays d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon. Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4x good sized steaks (rump, sirloin, rib-eye - whatever you prefer!)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce (Interesting factoid: In the UK it's pronounced Wusster, the 'shire' remains unpronounced.)
• Dark soy sauce
  
• Mixed peppercorns (in a pepper mill if possible otherwise a pestle & mortar to crush them)
• Salt - good chunky sea salt is best
• Dried thyme and rosemary
• A selection of mushrooms. I tend to use regular white button mushrooms, chanterelle (girolles), oyster (pleurots) and a few chopped cepes (porcini). You can chop or slice or do what you like with them. If they're small I tend to use them whole or halved.
• Butter
• 250ml red wine
  

Method:
(Marinade the steaks for at least 4 hours in the fridge):

1. For lack of better words, glug a good measure of olive oil into a glass bowl, add to it a splash of Balsamic Vinegar and a few drops of Worcestershire and Soy sauce.

2. Beat the liquids together with a small whisk to create a thickish emulsion and add to it a pinch or two of the thyme and rosemary.

3. Place the steaks in a dish and pour the marinade over them (It's difficult to give measurements as it depends on the size of the steaks but they don't want to end up swimming in marinade if that helps).

4. Grind the mixed peppers corns (to suit your taste, I use a lot) over the steaks along with a few crystals of sea salt. Turn the steaks to repeat the seasoning on the other side. Turn the steaks a couple more times to ensure they are coated with the marinade then clingfilm/wrap them and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

5. Around half an hour before cooking remove the steaks from the fridge and set them to one side.

6. Heat your griddle pan and rub it over with a little olive oil.

7. Lifting the steaks from the marinade with tongs or a fork, allow the marinade liquid to drain off them and carefully place them in your hot griddle pan (Caution: The marinaded steaks are likely to spit as they're added to the hot pan, so mind your hands!) and cook them to your liking; rare, medium or well done. Once cooked, remove the steaks and keep them warm.

8. Add a knob of butter to the vacated griddle pan and a little extra olive oil if needed to prevent the butter from burning. Throw in the mushrooms and with a couple of wooden spoons keep them tossed around and turning in the butter/meat juices - think stir fry!

9. Once the mushrooms are coated and beginning to cook down add the wine (again watch out for sizzles and spits as it hits the hot pan) and allow it to reduce to a sauce.

10. Serve the steaks immediately with the wild mushroom and wine sauce poured over them.

Tequila Lime Chicken

This tasty chicken dish combines the tangy flavour of the tequila and lime marinade with a creamy, south western style dressing and tops it all off with a melted cheese blend. Note: Be sure you don't marinade the chicken longer than 3 to 4 hours or the citric acid in the lime juice may toughen the chicken. You can serve this dish with your choice of rice but personally, I love this dish served with crispy, thin cut chips (French Fries) with maybe a little salsa on the side. Serves 4

Ingredients:

For The Chicken Marinade

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce - see our Chicken Teriyaki recipe
  
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke flavouring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 shot (25ml) tequila

4 chicken breast fillets

For The Mexi-Ranch Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream/creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons minced tomato
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced canned jalapeno slices
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or a hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder - you can increase this for extra heat
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch ground black pepper

For the cheese melt topping and crispy base
1 cup grated Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend (M Jack can be hard to find but to be honest I've made this dish using all sorts of cheeses (as long as they melt).
2 cups crumbled corn chips or fried tortilla strips

1. Prepare marinade by combining marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Make the mexi-ranch dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well until smooth, then cover dressing and chill it until needed.

3. When you are ready to prepare the entree, preheat the oven to high broil. Also, preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat. When the grill is hot cook the marinated chicken breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until they're done.

4. Arrange the cooked chicken in a baking pan. Spread a layer of mexi-ranch dressing over each piece of chicken (you'll have plenty left over), followed by 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese blend. Broil the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted.

5. Spread a bed of 1/2 cup of the tortilla strips or crumbled corn chips on each of four plates. Slide a chicken breast onto the chips on each plate and serve with your choice of rice and salsa.

Additional info
Crumbling shop bought tortilla chips is the easy way to make the bed of crunchy chips that the tequila lime chicken rests on. But, you can make tortilla strips like those served at the restaurant by cutting a stack of eight 6-inch corn tortillas in half.

Stack the halves on top of each other and slice the tortillas into thin strips. Fry the tortilla strips in 2 cups of oil preheated in a large skillet for 3-5 minutes or until crispy.

Salt lightly and allow to drain and cool on paper towels.

And...... that's it!

Restaurant Style Teriyaki Chicken

Delicious Chicken Teriyaki in 10 easy to follow steps

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken breasts with skin on
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Sake (rice wine)
• 4 tbsp Mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic (Optional) finely chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or try our seasoned ginger oil)
  

Note: If Mirin is not available you can use regular rice wine and increase the amount of sugar to taste.

For The Garnish
Grated ginger - Available from Asian supermarkets but easily prepared using fresh ginger blended with a little water.

1. Pierce the skin on each chicken breast with a fork.

2. Mix the other ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Marinade the chicken in the mixture and place in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade mixture and retain the leftover marinade for later use.

5. Heat the vegetable oil (or our seasoned ginger oil if you're using that) in a frying pan and fry the chicken, skin side first over a medium heat until the skin has browned.

6. Turn the chicken pieces over and gently fry the other side over a low heat.

7. Pour the retained marinade mixture over the chicken in the pan and cover, allowing the chicken to steam cook over a low heat until it's cooked through.

8. Remove the cover and allow the sauce to simmer until it becomes thick.

9. Remove the pan from the heat. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally and serve them on a plate.

10. Pour the thickened Terikayi sauce from the pan over the chicken and garnish with the grated ginger (Optional).

Serving suggestion.
Why not try this delicious Chicken Teriyaki with our Benihana style, Japanese Egg Fried Rice or alternatively served cold in a pitta bread pocket with salad.