Mussels Provencal with Saffron

(Jill Churco)

Mussels make a quick and versatile dish that can impress your most finicky of guests.  A tip on selecting the shellfish for freshness: Not all mussels with open shells are to be avoided.  Squeeze the shell together and wait a few seconds.  If the shell closes it’s alive.  If it doesn’t close, it’s dead and should not be eaten.

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Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs mussels,scrubbed and debearded

2-3 cloves garlic, smashed to paste

2 shallots,diced small

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon butter

2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 generous pinch saffron threads

2 tablespoon heavy cream (or to taste)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy bottomed pot.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften, about 5-7 minutes.

Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the mussels until all of them have opened, about 6 to 8 minutes, discard any that do not open.

Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl and cover loosely with foil.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk in the the cream and saffron. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and allow to simmer together for about 5 minutes.

Return mussels to the pot with the broth and serve immediately with crusty bread and chilled glass of white wine.