Fresh Mussels with Asparagus

Ingredients:
4 lb mussels
1 1/2 lb thin asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Ingredients:

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot with a lid. Saute the onion, garlic and asparagus until the asparagus is tender. Add the liquid ingredients and herbs/spices. Add the mussels then cover to steam, shaking occasionally, until they are all opened. Discard any mussels that remained closed. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

When we went to Belgium, I must have had mussels nearly every day. Luckily, mussels are easy to make at home! I like to change what I steam with the mussels to reflect the seasons so in honor of spring (finally!) I made these with fresh asparagus. I loved how it turned out; the mussels tasted fresh and not asparagus-y and the vegetables made it into more of a complete meal. The perfect simple, springy, weeknight meal.