Friday, February 17, 2012

Mussels with Chorizo


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?)

Ingredients for sauce
The start of the sauce


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!

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!

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

23 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. I 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.

    You 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!

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  3. What a great idea to serve this with frites! Great post!

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  4. Beautiful 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.

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  5. We 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.

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  6. We 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!

    Alice @ http://acookingmizer.wordpress

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  7. Great word picture - I can see it now. Hope you had a wonderful V Day.

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  8. I'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.

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  9. The Garnacha sounds special and quite delicious. How were the pommes frites?

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  10. Just the mention of pommes frites makes me hungry! Even though I loved this, I know feel like I missed out on something!!

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  11. Christy, 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!

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  12. Your 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. :)

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  13. Love 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!

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  14. I probably should have mentioned I used half the chorizo called for - it seemed a bit intense, so I cut back.

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  15. I agree with Erin, your mussels do look amazing. Normally, when we do the mussels
    at 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.

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  16. 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.

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  17. I love the pairing with Garnacha and Albarino

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  18. Your setting sounds perfect and your mussels turned out beautifully. I will have to try both wines. Thank you for the recommendations.

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  19. The wine choices sound delicious and the mussels look perfect!

    You 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!

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  20. 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!

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  21. Hmm, 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!

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  22. I'm sorry you felt the sauce overwhelmed the mussels, but it sound like you enjoyed your meal anyway.

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  23. I 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.

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