Mussels in White Wine Sauce

jueves, 29 de marzo de 2012 0 comentarios

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Mussels in White Wine Sauce Recipe

When purchasing mussels be sure they smell like the ocean, not fishy. Don't buy any whose shells are cracked or open or any that refuse to close their shells when you handle or tap them, those are likely dying or dead. Try to cook the mussels immediately (unwrap them as soon as you get home), but if you have to wait place them in a bowl and cover them with a damp towel so they can breathe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley

METHOD

1 Put the mussels in a bowl of salted water (1 Tbsp salt per quart of water) for 10-15 minutes. Throw out any that are wide open or refuse to close when you handle them as these ones are likely dead. Looking over the closed mussels, see if any still have their beards (long hairy byssal threads which help anchor the mussel to surfaces) and pull them out, pulling slowly and strongly towards the hinge of the shell.
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2 Put 1/2 cup of dry white wine in the bottom of a large pot (at least 4-quart). Add the mussels to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their highly flavored water into the pot. Cook until shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, looking steamed and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Take care not to overcook, or the mussels will be rubbery and hard. Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl, one-by-one using tongs, including those that have broken loose from their shells. Do not discard the water in the pot!
3 Let the water in the pot settle for a minute. Any grit will settle to the bottom. Gently pour out the cooking water into a measuring cup, leaving the grit in the pot to discard of later. If the water you've measured out is still a little gritty, filter out the grit using a sieve.
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4 Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the shallots and cook a couple minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. If you want your sauce to be a little thick, add a teaspoon or two of flour to the pan, stir to combine. (Otherwise skip the flour.) Slowly add about a cup of the filtered mussel cooking water to the saucepan, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Add the minced parsley to the sauce.
5 Place mussels in serving bowls. Pour some sauce over each bowl of mussels.
Serve immediately. Serve with crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.
Yield: Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as an appetizer or side dish.
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Risotto de boletus, nueces y parmesano

miércoles, 28 de marzo de 2012 0 comentarios
Risotto ai porcini noci e parmigianno

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Preparación de la receta

 Para preparar la receta de Risotto ai porcini noci e parmigianno (Risotto de boletus, nueces y parmesano) Lo primero, sofreímos la cebolla picada y los boletus en una cazuela con mantequilla. Después, incorporamos el arroz y rehogamos bien. Seguidamente, vertemos poco a poco el caldo de verduras caliente, mientras removemos, hasta que el arroz esté en su punto. Salpimentamos al gusto. Por último, incorporamos las nueces troceadas con una buena dosis de parmesano rallado. Echamos un poco de mantequilla en el risotto y servimos enseguida.  

 http://www.canalcocina.es/receta/risotto-ai-porcini-noci-e-parmigianno-risotto-de-boletus-nueces-y-parmesano
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Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

viernes, 6 de enero de 2012 0 comentarios

Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Chicken soup doesn't need to take hours to make. This is a simple, light chicken soup that is richly flavored with shiitake mushrooms, and brightened with fresh ginger and soy sauce. The stock is very light, and comes just from the cooking of the ingredients for less than half an hour. But the combination of the ginger, chicken, mushrooms, soy sauce and a touch of salt and sugar is just lovely, and I highly recommend trying this soup. The recipe is an adaptation of one I discovered in a most curious cookbook, The Cultural Revolution Cookbook by Sasha Gong and Scott Seligman. One doesn't usually think of this rather painful period of Chinese history, when millions of Chinese urban youth, children of "intellectuals," were forced into the countryside to work as farmers, for its culinary legacy. But during this period, people learned to make do, and to create nourishing, satisfying food from simple, local ingredients.
The original recipe, upon which this one is based, is for "Steamed Ginger and Mushroom Chicken". The recipe required a bamboo steamer and wok, neither of which we had, so we decided to make our own version. Same ingredients, somewhat different method.
After the heaviness of holiday food, this one is especially refreshing. Enjoy!

Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms Recipe

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
Typically for this recipe one would use bone-in chicken thighs hacked into big pieces with a cleaver. The bones help create flavor and richness for the stock. You can use boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. Or use bone-in, and then remove the bones after the chicken has cooked, before serving.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (dried is much preferable to fresh in this recipe)
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, preferably bone-in, cut into chunks
  • A 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced very thin
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch

METHOD

1 Soak the mushrooms in the hot water for 20 minutes. Use a bowl or a smaller pot to keep the mushrooms submerged in the water.
2 While the mushrooms are soaking, mix the soy, sugar, salt and corn starch in a large bowl. Make sure there are no corn starch lumps. Add the chicken and ginger to the bowl, toss to coat with the marinade, and set aside.
3 When the mushrooms have softened, remove from the water (saving the soaking liquid) and slice thin. Add the mushrooms into the bowl with the chicken. If the soaking water has grit in it, pour the soaking water though a fine-meshed sieve lined with a paper towel into another bowl.
4 Put the chicken mushroom mixture, and the mushroom soaking liquid into a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a bare simmer, cover the pot and cook gently for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves 4.
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