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Pilaf of Mussels This molded pilaff of mussels and rice is at once very good and very stately on the plate. Pilaff is wonderful when you want to stretch a small quantity of meat, fish, or shellfish. The mussels are cooked separately, then combined. Mussels, one of the most flavorful and least expensive of shellfish, were rarely available in stores twenty years ago when I first came to the United States. However, they were plentiful all along the coasts of New York and Connecticut. Nowadays, unfortunately, most of my old musseling spots have signs reading "Polluted." Luckily, though, mussels are starting to be widely available in food stores. Generally speaking, do not buy the very large mussels, as invariably you're just paying for shell, the mussel itself being no larger than normal. If it does turn out that the mussel is large and full, it will likely be tough. So buy heavy medium-sized mussels, approximately 15 to 18 per pound. Just out of the water, mussels are attached to one another in bunches. They will keep in that form for at least 1 1/2 weeks in the refrigerator; however, the meat shrinks as it loses moisture. The best mussels are the freshest. After they are separated and cleaned, they can still be kept for 3 or 4 days refrigerated. An opened mussel is not necessarily bad. Placed in cold water or tickled inside with the point of a knife, the mussel may close, which indicates that it is still alive and good. When the mussel is dead, you will know by the smell. It is necessary to wash mussels carefully to rid them of sand and mud. Left for an hour in 1 or 2 gallons of cold water with a handful of salt, they disgorge and release some of the sand. Clean the mussels by rubbing them against each other in the water. Change the water two or three times. A mussel may be full of mud and so vacuum-tight that even washing won't open it. To check for mud, push with your fingers in opposite directions to make both shells slide open. If the mussel is full of mud, discard it. The barnacles attached to the mussels are not dirty. Actually, they impart taste to the stock. You needn't remove them unless the mussels are to be served in the shells and you feel the encrustation makes them less attractive. If the meat is removed from the shells, as it is in this pilaff, it is not necessary to remove the barnacles. Mussels 4 pounds mussels 1/2 cup chopped onions 1 /3 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped scallions 3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped (2 teaspoons) 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup parsley Rice Pilaf 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice 3 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Separate the mussels, pull off the pieces of dry seaweed that connect them, and clean them as described above. Place the clean mussels in a saucepan, preferably stainless steel, and cover. No additional liquid is needed—the mussels will open and release their juice. Bring to a boil, stirring once in a while as they cook. After 8 to 10 minutes they should all be open; remove from the heat. Lift the mussels from the liquid and strain the juice through a paper towel to get rid of the sand, then pour the juice into a clean pot. We used mussels fresh out of the sea and got 2 cups of juice. The yield may be smaller if the mussels are store-bought. Remove the meat from the shells. Pull out and, if you wish, discard the long, dark, string-like sinew. Most restaurants do not remove it, and it is not done when the mussels are served in the shells, but it tends to be tough, and the dish will also look more elegant. At this stage of cooking, the mussels could be served plain with their natural juices or with the finished sauce (see next step), or served provencal as described below. To finish the sauce, add the onion, celery, scallions, and garlic to the mussel liquid, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, knead together the butter and flour with a whisk and, using the whisk, stir the kneaded butter directly into the broth. Add the parsley, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture boils so that there are no more lumps. You should have approximately 2 cups of sauce. Taste for seasoning, and add a dash of pepper if needed. Usually no salt is necessary, because the juice of the mussels is salty enough. To prepare the pilaff, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the onions and thyme, mix well, and saute for about 1 minute. Add the rice, and stir to coat the rice with butter. Add the water and salt, and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Butter generously a 3/4-cup Pyrex custard dish, and place 3 tablespoons of the cooked rice in it. Press it against the sides with a spoon to make a nest in the center. Place 6 to 8 mussels in the nest, and cover with 2 tablespoons of sauce. Place another 2 tablespoons of rice on top of the mussels, press down with the back of a spoon, and invert the cup onto a serving plate. The pilaff should slide out easily. Place 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce around the rice and a dash of parsley on top. Repeat for the other servings. Serve as soon as possible. 6 SERVINGS Mussels Provencal 12 mussels, cleaned and cooked Provencal Butter 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) soft butter 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped fine Salt and pepper to taste 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs We prepared these Mussels Provencal with some mussels we had leftover from the pilaff. They had already been cleaned and cooked. If you are starting from scratch, clean and cook the mussels following steps 1-3 on page 91. Then open the cooked mussels and place the shells containing the meat on a tray. (Discard the other shells.) Combine the butter, chopped parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well, and place a good teaspoonful of the mixture on each mussel. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of fresh bread crumbs. Heat in a 425-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes until the butter is bubbly and the mussels are hot. Serve immediately. Six per person is a normal serving for a first course. Return to Top | Back to Recipes |
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