Steamed Mussels

I ate a kilo of mussels

Every menu I came across in my 24 hours in France last week had em on it, and now that I've noticed, they're everywhere. It's mussel season. 1 kilo later, I'm still craving drinking white wine sauce out of tiny  crescent shell. Super quick but with that visage of fancy, cooking mussels is a sinch. Especially good if you make a big bucket full to share.

1 kilo of mussels 

175 mls white wine

5 shallots (finely chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

2 tblsp butter

100ml of single cream (this is controversial)

handful of parsley

squeeze of lemon

Scrub the mussels in cold water and pull the beards (thin stringy bit) off. Give any open ones a hard tap. If they close and stay closed keep them, if they stay open chuck them out. Heat the butter in a big pot, when it starts to foam add the chopped shallots and saute for 10mins (ish). Add the garlic. Turn the heat up. Add the wine (it should sizzle). Add the cream. Add the mussels. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. They should all have opened. Squeeze with lemon and sprinkle with parsley. Ready.

Marinated Aubergine

I need food to wake me up

The sprightliness of the lemon and chili gives a lovely little wake up call on a Sunday afternoon. The aubergine which just came into season gets all tender and smokey in the oven and after being doused in the marinade for a couple of hours makes the most tangy and heartwarming post all nighter hangover cure.

 

1 large aubergine (sliced in half width wise, then each half in half again and sliced into crescents)

Marinade

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons 

2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)

1 red chili

handful of fresh basil

4 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 220 / gas mark 7. Cut up the aubergine and put on baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil. Bake for 15-18minutes, should turn golden on top. Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a big bowl. Add the cooked aubergine and leave for 2 hours. Eat whenever