Recipe

August 25, 2015

Mussels With Porcini, Mustard and Cream

Recipe: Hugh Acheson

High Acheson shares his recipe for Mussels With Porcini, Mustard and Cream.

Broad-Fork-Cover“Prince Edward Island is the smallest province in Canada. I have been there once. I remember a three-legged cat at the Anne of Green Gables house. I was six years old. Thus I am an expert on all things related to PEI. Oh, and their mussels are awesome. Porcini and other boletus varieties will run you a third mortgage, but a life in good food is worth every penny. (Though they are not as special as porcini, you could substitute shiitakes here.) This is best served with toasted bread, the lifelong partner of all steamed mussel dishes.”

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds mussels (from Prince Edward Island if possible!)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1⁄2 pound fresh porcini or shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1⁄2 cup dry vermouth
  • 1⁄2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
  • 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • Half a baguette or crusty bread loaf, sliced into large pieces and toasted

Directions

Yield: Serves 4

  1. Immerse the mussels in a pot of very cold water and discard any that are broken or are visibly open and do not close when prodded. With your fingers, pinch any “beards” that extend from the mussel shells and pull them off. Remove the mussels from the water and set aside.
  2. Place a very large skillet (one with a lid) over medium- high heat and add the butter. When the butter bubbles and froths, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes.
Then add the olive oil and the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes; season with sea salt to taste. Add the mussels. Pour the vermouth over the mussels and add the chicken stock, mustard, and cream. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, or until the mussels are open and just cooked. Finish with the parsley, and serve immediately with the bread.
Photographer:

Rinne Allen

Source:

The Broad Fork: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits