2 lbs live mussels
1 cup broth
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup beer*
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 teaspoons softened butter
2 teaspoons flour
2 slices lean bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt
pepper
Directions:
Mix the butter and the flour together in small bowl and set aside. Check the mussels to make sure no shells are broken and all are closed. If a mussel is open, tap a few times on a hard surface. If they close, they are safe to eat. If they remain open, throw them out. Place the mussels, 1/2 of the sliced onion, the garlic, the thyme, the sage, and the broth in a wide pot with a lid. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally until the mussels open. Some mussels might open before others depending on where they are in the pan. Use a large spoon to scoop out the mussels as they open and place them in a serving bowl. Throw out any mussels that did not open. Strain the broth through cheese cloth (or a damp paper towel) draped over a strainer and reserve the broth.
In the same pan you cooked the mussels in, saute the bacon. When just browned, toss in the rest of the sliced onion and the mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes until the onions and mushrooms have softened and have started to caramelize in the bacon grease. Pour in the beer and 1/2 cup of the mussel broth. Bring to a boil and whisk in the butter and flour mixture. Cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the mussels back in the pot and toss them in the sauce. Bring back to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with bread to soak up the sauce.
mmmm, moules et frites are my favorite! i’ll have to try this version with beer…since beer is my favorite thing to drink with mussles anyway!
My dad would think he’d died and gone to heaven. Combining four of his favourite ingredients! I’m feeling guilty that I put mussels up as foods of the week but didn’t cook any this week. I must try harder.
Surfing the world of web blogs before you’ve had dinner is really not a good idea – now I want mussels but I can’t get any till tomorrow morning!
Yum. I LOVE mussels, but have never attempted to make them myself. I should buy some at the Cross St. Market.
Anytime bacon is part of the deal, you’re in for something good. This sounds delicious! Curious about the beer–what kind did you use? a lager, a stout… I’m not much of a beer drinker, so I wonder what your beer drinking fans would recommend–and, of course, what you actually used with this.
Oh, good point. We used a Irish ale: Smithwick’s.
I love love love mussels to death. A few months ago, I bought so many different kinds of shellfish and had an OD on them. 😉
I wish I could make this in my house but T. is allergic. DAMN!
Lean bacon…what fun is that?? 😉