| Ingredient List |
| 1 1/2 pounds of fresh or frozen Mussels |
| 1 Eggplant |
| 2-3 finely chopped Garlic Cloves or 1-2 tablespoons of Garlic Powder |
| 28 ounce container of Chicken Broth |
| 4-5 sticks of Asparagus sliced |
| 1/4 Onion finely chopped |
| 1 teaspoon of Dried Basil |
| 1 teaspoon of Dried Thyme |
| 1 cup of a dry White Wine |
| Red Pepper Flake for garnish |
| Dried or Fresh Parsley chopped for garnish |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| Salt and Pepper |
I had received a message from a friend asking if I could come up with a recipe for mussels with white wine. She absolutely loves mussels and wanted something she could make at home. I enjoyed the challenge because I often cook fish and shrimp, but not other shellfish.
Years ago, when my husband, Jeff, and I moved in together (before we were married) I had decided to cook clams using a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis. It was the first time I went to the seafood counter and bought fresh clams. That night I made clams with white wine, garlic, and other seasonings. Jeff thought the clams were delicious, but I actually didn’t eat any of them. I had experienced some kind of breakdown and anxiety from the thought of cooking something alive to death. It was eerie and too much for me. I blame this partially on the fact that my mom raised me as a vegetarian and cooking live fish and animals never happened.
Cut to 5 years later and Jeff and I move to Japan. Our culinary appetites expanded and I even got use to seeing various fresh fish and shellfish being cooked in front of me. I’ve mellowed out with that cooking anxiety. So, I was able to fulfill this cooking request. I have to admit, I don’t know if I could get on board with cooking live lobster or anything still moving. At least with mussels and clams they’re in a shell and I rarely cook them at home anyways. To make this recipe a little more “me” and not just a rip off of someone else I added various vegetables as a topping. These mussels are decadent, comforting, and the broth is delicious!
Begin by cooking the vegetables:
- Set your oven at 350° Fahrenheit and place a whole EGGPLANT onto a baking tray to bake for 50 minutes and rest for 5-10 minutes
- You do not need to score or cut the eggplant
- The moisture inside the eggplant will roast and cook the eggplant perfectly (so easy!)
- Take the eggplant and discard the top and remove the outer skin
- Use a kitchen knife to chop down the eggplant
- Include the seeds because that is a good amount of nourishing fiber
- Take the chopped EGGPLANT and place into a food processor
- Coat or drizzle with some EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, add DRIED BASIL, DRIED THYME, GARLIC CLOVES (or GARLIC POWDER), SALT and PEPPER and puree
- Puree until it is broken down and smooth or slightly chunky (your preference)
- Then slice ASPARAGUS and chop ONION
- The add them into the EGGPLANT puree and mix with a spoon
Now it is time to create the broth and steam the mussels:
- Using a wok (flat sauce pan or stock pot) add a container of CHICKEN BROTH and a cup of DRY WHITE WINE
- You can also use vegetable or bone broth
- Bring the broth and wine to a high heat (not boiling) and then gently add in the MUSSELS
- If you use fresh mussels be sure to remove the beard – just pull it off
- If you use frozen mussels just give them a good rinse under some warm water
- Then cover with the vegetable mix you made earlier
- Place a lid on top and let the mussels steam until they open (about 5-6 minutes)
- Discard mussels that do NOT open – those are NOT good to eat
- Serve mussels and garnish with DRIED or FRESH PARSLEY and RED PEPPER FLAKES
That’s it. Enjoy!!
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