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Mussels with Chorizo and Pasta |
The scene was set for a classic bistro dinner at home. Red checkered tablecloth, bistro wine
glasses, lobster napkins at the ready and Edith Pilaf singing
La Vie en rose in the background. My intrepid sous chef had even donned his
beret a la Mike Grgich for the occasion.
The reason: this week’s
French Friday’s with Dorie challenge was
Mussels with Chorizo (over Pasta, if you chose). Add some crispy pommes frites, as we intended
to do, and you had a quintessentially French dish. (OK, maybe the Chorizo added a Spanish twist,
and the pasta an Italian bent, but who wants to ruin the image?)
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Ingredients for sauce |
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The start of the sauce |
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Add chorizo - I chose not to chunk mine and make it more of a flavor in the sauce |
Mussels are an edible bivalve whose worldwide consumption is
produced ninety percent by aquaculture in places like China, Spain, Italy,
Thailand, France and New Zealand. The
United States and Canada produce and consume a small portion of mussels, so
count us among a vocal minority who very much like this mollusk. But we are mussel traditionalists. We like our mussels cooked and served in a
light broth or sauce so the taste of the mussel shines through. Dorie’s challenge produced a chorizo sauce that
overwhelmed and drowned out the fresh sea taste of the mussels. However, we found the sauce was quite
delicious on its own with a nice balance of fresh flavors. Red bell pepper, garlic, onion, fresh thyme
and tomato complimented the spicy chorizo and the consistency was hearty enough
to envelope any pasta noodle. When
poured over fettuccine it seemed so much healthier and lighter than the
traditional Alfredo sauce. This sauce is
definitely worth trying with your next batch of pasta!
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A little steam from the mussels |
We paired the dish with a bottle of Alto Moncayo Varaton
2009 Garnacha. A bit of a renegade
decision since this is a French dish (so to speak). But since the dish has a Spanish influence,
and the mussels were overwhelmed by the sauce anyway, the pairing of shellfish
and red wine was neither ingenuous nor a faux pas. In fact, it was a great
decision for the wine held up well to the spiciness of the sauce and did not
get lost in its bold flavors. At first
taste the wine is supple with a hint of sweetness, but then its flavors even
out in the middle and it finishes with a bit of dark fruit (cherry, blackberry,
strawberry) and minerality. Only 500
cases were made and it is a good value, averaging about $27.95 a bottle. Perhaps a bit of a splurge for the everyday
meal, but definitely worthy of a special occasion!
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The finished product (if you like cooking with a glass of wine try Paco & Lola Albarino - it's light and refreshing!) |
To read more
French Friday with Dorie Experiences or to join the group:
www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com
I have never cooked with mussels before. I am now wondering if I have ever eaten them before. I will have to put them on my to-do list, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love your pairing this with garnacha. It's one of my favorite wines for food and definitely would have stood up to the chorizo and tomato in the dish.
ReplyDeleteYou are the only person who mentioned frites! I thought about making some, but will probably save the idea for when we get to make the Mariniere version. Have a great weekend!
What a great idea to serve this with frites! Great post!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. I'm inspired by all that I'm reading today from all the Doristas. I did not have time to shop for fresh mussels, so I caught up on an experience that I missed...but today's posts are so delicious looking that I'm ready to shop. I appreciate your comments on the sauce which looks delish.
ReplyDeleteWe went an opposite direction and paired our mussels with beer, but the wine you had with dinner has me sold! A nice touch to serve with the garnacha.
ReplyDeleteWe had Muscat that I brought back from Paris with our mussels and really enjoyed the variation of the sauce, and it is easily a favorite for us now :) Glad you enjoyed yours, even with your trepidation!
ReplyDeleteAlice @ http://acookingmizer.wordpress
Great word picture - I can see it now. Hope you had a wonderful V Day.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you felt the sauce overpowered the mussels. Maybe my chorizo was not as spicy as yours--mussel was still the predominant flavor in mine. Sounds like you enjoyed it anyway, even if it's not your favorite preparation.
ReplyDeleteThe Garnacha sounds special and quite delicious. How were the pommes frites?
ReplyDeleteJust the mention of pommes frites makes me hungry! Even though I loved this, I know feel like I missed out on something!!
ReplyDeleteChristy, The picture you painted of your bistro dinning, makes me want to experience this wonderful dinner again! We also had red wine with this dish...I thought it was perfect with the red spicy sauce! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour wine pairing seems perfect. I really take issue with the implications that this is French in any way. I think by saying 'around my French table' Dorie just means she bought it in France, she'll serve what she wants thankyouverymuch. :)
ReplyDeleteLove your post! The mussels look amazing! I am going to have to look for a garnacha to try, it sounds really good. I am going to attempt this recipe again soon, I am determined to conquer mussels!
ReplyDeleteI probably should have mentioned I used half the chorizo called for - it seemed a bit intense, so I cut back.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erin, your mussels do look amazing. Normally, when we do the mussels
ReplyDeleteat Christmas for the feast of the seven fishes, we just do white wine, garlic and onion. I will say this sauce was different, but definitely delicious.
I could almost life your words off of your Post and taste them. You must have felt like you really were in "Chez France". A tiny bistro, to be sure. Loved your wine choices and suggestions.
ReplyDeleteI love the pairing with Garnacha and Albarino
ReplyDeleteYour setting sounds perfect and your mussels turned out beautifully. I will have to try both wines. Thank you for the recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThe wine choices sound delicious and the mussels look perfect!
ReplyDeleteYou asked about the truffle tartlets over on my blog - we found the recipe really straightforward, as long as you leave plenty of time for the dough to rest, bake, and cool. The filling's pretty easy, actually and it tastes amazing!
I would love mussels serve the traditional way you mentioned, too. I also like your recommendation for serving this sauce sans mussels over pasta...how yummy!
ReplyDeleteHmm, it didn't occur to me the strong flavour of this dish drowned out the mussels but you do have a point. The farmed mussels are not particularly flavourful so the extra help was much welcomed. However, if I have access to wild ones, I would definitely follow your advice on using a more delicate cooking method. Great choice of wine!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you felt the sauce overwhelmed the mussels, but it sound like you enjoyed your meal anyway.
ReplyDeleteI love that you created a french bistro at home - complete with a beret! I definitely liked the sauce more than the mussels in this dish, but it still made for a fun dinner.
ReplyDelete