mussles

For those interactive group-gathering festive meals that first come to mind — fondue, say, or raclette — you either have to maintain a giant heated stone by an even larger roaring fire or a balance a pot of boiling oil, molten cheese or finicky chocolate over a live flame. Le grand aioli, by contrast, is a distinctly relaxing, convivial and participatory group meal that requires no dangerous apparatus: It’s just a vivid spread of vegetables, simply cooked, and a few pieces of steamed seafood to go with the large quantity of rather garlicky mayonnaise. Since the meal is served at room temperature – neither hot nor cold – it is one of those exceedingly-gentle-on-the-cook meals for which you can just sit down and stay down. The only exertion involved once you set it out is passing the cold wine.

Le Grand Aioli

Kosher salt

olive oil

black pepper

red-wine vinegar

14-16 new or fingerling potatoes, scrubbed

green beans, stem end trimmed

yellow wax beans, stem end trimmed

baby zucchini

eggs

gem lettuce

mussels

garlic, slivered

shallot, chopped

thyme

red chile flakes

white wine

of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

blended oil

On the night before you serve the grand aioli, gently season the cod with kosher salt on both sides; cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400. Place beets in a small roasting pan. Coat the beets in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the red-wine vinegar and 4 tablespoons water to the pan. Cover with foil, and roast until beets are tender, approximately 1 hour. Check beets halfway through cooking, and add more olive oil and water if the roasting pan looks dry. Remove beets from oven, and uncover the pan. Cover the beets with a clean kitchen towel, and let them stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle. Using the kitchen towel (or paper towels) to help you, rub off the outer skin of the beets. Peeling the beets while they are still quite warm makes the otherwise difficult task easy. Set aside the peeled beets until completely cool, then halve or quarter, depending on the size.

Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. In this case you want the water even saltier than the sea. It should nearly make you pucker when you taste it. Be sure to taste it!

Lower the heat so that the water is at an energetic simmer. Add the potatoes, and cook until easily pierced with a skewer, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from the simmering water with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a sheet tray lined with a clean kitchen towel to cool.

Add the green beans and wax beans to the simmering water, and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove using a slotted spoon, and transfer to the sheet tray to cool.

Add the zucchini to the simmering water, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, and transfer to the sheet tray to cool.

Turn the heat up on the pot of water, returning it to an aggressive boil. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon, being careful not to crack their shells. Cook 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water, and peel them quickly under cool running tap water. Cut them in half lengthwise.

Once the vegetables are cool, slice the potatoes in half. If the zucchini are very small, you can leave them whole, otherwise halve or quarter them lengthwise.

Fill a large bowl with cold water, and drop in the radishes. Agitate the radishes to help shake loose any sand, then let it settle on the bottom of the bowl. Lift the radishes out, and set aside. Repeat this process 2 or 3 more times, using fresh water each time, until the radishes are clean and free of sand. Let dry, then halve or quarter, depending on their size.

Cut the little gem lettuces in half, and drop into a large bowl of cold water. There should be enough room in the bowl so that the lettuces float easily in a single layer. Let stand for 5 minutes so that any sand drops to the bottom of the bowl, then gently lift the lettuces out, and set aside. Repeat this process 2 more times, using fresh water each time, until the lettuces are clean and free of sand. Pat dry or spin gently in a salad spinner.

Scrub the mussels under running water, and debeard them. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high in a pot large enough to hold the mussels in a single layer. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the garlic, shallot, thyme sprigs and chile flakes. Let the aromatics toast, but not brown, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.

Add the mussels, then pour in the wine. Cover the pot with a tightfitting lid, and steam 2 minutes. Check the mussels, and remove any that have opened to a platter. Continue cooking, removing each mussel as it opens so they do not overcook. Discard any that do not open after 10 minutes. Set mussels aside to cool.

Arrange a steamer basket in a large pot, and fill with 1/2 inch of water; bring to a simmer. Arrange cod in steamer (cut into large pieces, if necessary), and cover with the lid or foil. Gently steam until just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove the cod from the steamer, and set aside to cool.

Grate the garlic into the bowl of a food processor using a microplane. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of water and a generous pinch of kosher salt. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. The aioli will start to thicken and emulsify after a few minutes. If the aioli is too thick, add another tablespoon of water to loosen. Taste the aioli, and adjust for seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice or microplaned garlic, as needed.

On several large platters arrange all the beautiful ingredients in neat but loose bundles. Serve with the aioli for dipping.

Gordon's moules frites are a treat and easier than you may think to make. Spoil someone today...

Moules frites

mussels, (see try below)

spring onions

shallot

carrot

garlic

red chilli

flat-leaf parsley

dry white wine (ideally Muscadet)

Pernod

tbsp crème fraîche

potatoes

flour

cayenne pepper

mustard powder

tsp white wine vinegar

Tip the mussels into a large bowl of cold water. Discard any that remain open when tapped, then drain well and pull away any ‘beards’. (Fresh mussels look black and shiny and should only smell pleasantly of the deep sea – the vast majority should be tightly closed. Avoid any that smell ‘fishy’, look dry or are mostly open.)

Thinly slice the vegetables and garlic. Roll the chilli in your hands to loosen the seeds, then slit in half and shake out the seeds. Slice the flesh into thin sticks, then stack together and finely chop. Pick over the thyme sprigs, discarding the thick stalks, and pick the parsley leaves from the stalks. Prepare the chips (see recipe, below right).

Place a large, heavy-based sauté pan (with a lid) on the hob and heat until you can feel a strong heat rising. Pour in the oil, then immediately toss in all of the vegetables, chilli and thyme. The thyme sprigs will crackle if the pan is hot enough. Cook for about 1½ mins, shaking the pan and stirring the vegetables until they start to wilt.

With the heat still on high, toss in all the mussels and shake the pan so they form an even layer. Cover with a lid and cook for another 1-2 mins, shaking the pan once or twice.

Uncover the pan and pour in the wine and Pernod. Shake and cook for another 1½ mins so the wine reduces by half, then cover again and cook for another min. Place a large colander over a bowl and tip the mussels and vegetables into the centre. Discard any mussels that remain closed. Fry the chips.

Pour the strained liquid back in the pan, reheat and stir in the crème fraîche and whole parsley leaves. Check the seasoning; you may not need any salt. Return the mussels and vegetables to the pan and reheat, shaking the pan, then divide between two large soup bowls. Serve the chips and mayonnaise (recipe below) alongside.

TIP: Make the mayo and prepare the chips before you start the mussels. Fry the chips after you have cooked the mussels and while they are still draining in the colander, then finish the sauce.

These Drunken Mussels cook in a quick and easy, garlicky white wine-broth sauce with anchovies for ultimate flavor.

Drunken Mussels

live mussels (about 44)

butter

extra virgin olive oil

anchovies

garlic (minced)

red pepper flakes

vegetable broth

kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)

bread (optional

Rinse and scrub mussels under cold water.

Using your fingers or paring knife, remove beards (strings that hang from the mussel shells), and discard.

Add butter, oil and anchovies to a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the anchovies break down, about 1 minute. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and let sizzle for about 30 seconds.

Quickly pour in wine and broth into the pan and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Bring sauce to a boil and cook 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in mussels, and cover immediately. Shake pot and let boil for 1 minute.

Stir mussels, cover, and let boil for 3 to 4 minutes until the shells begin to open.

Stir in parsley. Serve with grilled bread, if desired.

Make a low in fat, satisfying dish in minutes – ideal for Friday nights

20-minute seafood pasta

onion, chopped

garlic clove, chopped

paprika

can chopped tomatoes

chicken stock (from a cube is fine)

spaghetti, roughly broken

frozen seafood mix, defrosted

parsley

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, then cook the onion and garlic over a medium heat for 5 mins until soft. Add the paprika, tomatoes and stock, then bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat to a simmer, stir in the pasta and cook for 7 mins, stirring occasionally to stop the pasta from sticking. Stir in the seafood, cook for 3 mins more until it’s all heated through and the pasta is cooked, then season to taste. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Top 4 mussles recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Le Grand Aioli

Moules frites

Drunken Mussels

20-minute seafood pasta

Top 4 mussles recipes from across the web

The most viewed mussles recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Le Grand Aioli

Moules frites

Drunken Mussels

20-minute seafood pasta

The most viewed mussles recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine