Lent Me A Hand: Friday 4

Hello! I wanted to get to you early enough so you can actually be inspired for today. A song I still love is Squeeze’s Pulling Mussels From A Shell so that’s my inspiration for you.

Well the song is one, and the other is what I had at my dad’s warehouse the other day. He enjoys making lunches for his friends and workers most days (the big deal is Saturdays – no women allowed – haha). As you see below, he made a GIANT pot of mussels. He had lots of bread, homemade wine, and lots of good people and laughs. It was incredible and couldn’t be more simple.

I am giving you the party-portioned recipe straight from Carmine’s mouth – you should adjust the quantities accordingly. You cannot go wrong adding a little more or a little less of anything. That’s the best sort of recipe!

Ingredients: one cup olive oil, 2 bulbs garlic, 20 lbs. fresh raw mussels, one bottle white wine of choice, salt & pepper, 6 oz. fresh Italian (plain) parsley.

 

Slice or smash the garlic. In a large pot, add olive oil and on medium heat, brown the garlic a bit and add the mussels. Pour in the wine, add salt & pepper, and let cook open for about 5-6 minutes so the alcohol in the wine evaporates. You can take this time to finely chop the parsley. Cover and steam until the mussels open – about 15-20 minutes – and remove from heat. Add the parsley and you’re ready! He served with a piece of “hard bread biscotti” in the dish before pouring in the broth and mussels. Make sure you have a good supply of crusty Italian bread to dip into the broth – it’s heaven! And have some more wine!