[Moules Marinières] Belgian style mussels in white wine sauce

It was so long time ago that I don't exactly remember at which Léon de Bruxelles restaurant, a restaurant chain specialized in mussels, in Paris I had a potful of mussels for the first time in my life. Confession: even though I had loved all kinds of seafood since I was a kid, I had never tried a mussel before my first visit to Léon de Bruxelles over a decade ago. And you may guess by now, I fell in love with mussels right then and there. 

Let's say it was love at first taste, not at first sight~ Since then I order moules-frîtes, or mussels with French fries,wherever available. It's originated from Belgium, but moules frîtes are one of the most popular food in France as well. You can find it on the menu quite often at any restaurant, especially in Paris and île-de-France region. I like all different kind of mussel sauces, e.g. Italian style classic tomato sauce, bold blue cheese sauce, creamy cream sauce, and of course, plain yet elegant sauce marinière, or white wine sauce in other words. As I recommended moules frîtes as one of the must-eat foods in France last year, moules frîtes actually are one of my favorite foods in the world. You can see my post about all the must-eat foods in France here~ 

It is true that I can eat mussels about anywhere, but! I do have my favorite place to have a big pot of mussels with freshly fried potato strips. It's not a big city such as Paris or Brussels. Probably you wouldn't guess it easily. It actually is Bruges, West Flanders in Belgium. If you haven't been in Belgium, I strongly recommend this little beautiful town in Central Europe. The Market square or Markt is one of the most charming plaza, if not the most, in the world. You will love it. A terrace of the restaurants in the square is a perfect place to enjoy a big pot of mussels with sauce of your choice.

November is such a nice month in the middle of the season, to eat mussels. As I happened to have a bottle of dry white wine in my kitchen cabinet, I made a pot of moules marinières. Here goes the recipe:

 Ingredients

3-4lbs (or 1.3 - 1.7Kg) mussels

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

5-6+ sprigs of  fresh flat leaf parsley

Accompaniments: French fries

Directions

1. Wash the mussels under cold running water in a sink, removing any beards and barnacles. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a high heat, then add the onion and garlic. Stir for 1 minute.

3. Add the wine and bring to a boil.

4. Add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels open. As you know, you are not eating any mussels that are not opened.

5. Add as much as parsley you want and stir well. No seasoning is required as the mussels will release a little salt water when they open. 

6. Serve the mussels in a serving dish or bowls. 

Prepare a nice loaf of good-quality French bread to dip in the juices. I know I ended up, as usual, with a little too much sauce, but it's so worth and good.

We should have had white wine, but as we had other food as well, we had a jug of red wine! I love this humble jug! A jug of wine satisfies our daily needs, doesn't it? :)

But, of course, a glass of Belgian  beer along with mussels is not a bad idea either. :)

Mussels lunch/dinner brings a happy nostalgia for France and Europe. 

I always enjoy mussels along with my fond memories :) 

How about you? What is the food that recalls your old memories?

Moules Marinières - Mussels with White Wine Sauce

[Comfort Beef Stew] Great Weekend Stew cooked with wine

Stew must be one of the easiest cooking method to make a great dish. And stewing makes the least tender cuts of meat tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method, which however is different from slow cooking method. (Slow cooker often makes meat too limp for my taste.) As Mr. D and I love stew so much, I often make all kinds of stew, including chili. 

This comfort beef stew could be a cousin, but quite distant, of French boeuf bourguignon. While the authentic boeuf bourguinon requires some labour, this comfort beef stew can be done with little work. You can see my favorite boeuf bourguignon recipe of Julia Child here. If you like boeuf bourguignon, just like me,  but want something similar and easier, try this easy comfort beef stew recipe. Leftover is just as good as when it was first made.

Here goes the recipe:

(I've used this recipe for a few years, but don't remember where I got it :( )

Ingredients

3-4 lbs Stew beef (I used pot chuck roast only because it was on sale, but I normally use stewing beef)

1 onion

1 celery stalk

2 carrots

3 tablespoons flour or chickpea flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lbs mushroom of your choice, sliced (I used Shitake)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup beef broth

1 cup dry red wine

1 can diced tomato can

Directions

1. In a large cast-iron casserole or a skillet,  add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and arrange the meat i in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. (At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. )

2. Then set aside.

3. Dice all the vegetables: onion, celery, and carrots.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. You want the mixture to turn light brown but not burn

5. Add chopped onion, celery,carrots, and mushroom and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.

6. Add beef and garlic and mix well.

7. Add red wine and beef broth.

8. Add canned tomato, bay leaf and thyme, and bring to a boil.

9. Simmer for 60-70 minutes on low-medium heat.

Serve with short pasta such as rigatoni what I used. Enjoy this flavourful dish with a glass of red wine ~

Enjoy!

Comfort Beef Stew with Red Wine

[Vin Chaud] The Alps' style Mulled Wine

Winter does not come without a glass of warm vin chaud (French mulled wine), at least, for me.

It happens every year when the smell of cinnamon, orange and heated red wine fills the kitchen, I feel all the more keenly the joy of holidays and winter.

Vin chaud warmed me up after a full day of ski in Chamonix. I must be drinking the pleasant memories of my twenties.  

It is very true that the delicious smell of the vin chaud amplifies my reminiscences.

 The Alps' winter food recipes:

Raclette: The Alps style cheesy treat

Cheese Fondue: Great cheesy meal during the colder months

It's really easy to make vin chaud. And believe me, it's much better than bottled mulled wine.

Mulled wine is sometimes called "Christmas wine", but it's not true. Since I make vin chaud throughout the winter. :)

Here goes a very easy, but just scrumptious vin chaud recipe!

Ingredients

1 bottle red wine (not too cheap, but not too expensive one)

1 teaspoon clove,

1/2 orange, sliced

1/2 lemon, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

1-2 teaspoons ginger, grated

1 tablespoon creme de cassis

1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Slice orange and lemon.

2. Combine wine,  orange and lemon slices in a large pot. 

3. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, creme de cassis, and sugar to the pot.

4. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the low heat. DO NOT allow the wine to boil. Keep the lid over the pot.

5. Simmer for 30 minutes.

6. (Optional) strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.

6. Laddle the vin chaud to a mug or a glass.  

Add a cinnamon stick or orange, and serve.

There is nothing like a cup of vin chaud on a cold winter evening.

Enjoy!

Vin Chaud - French Mulled Wine

[Coq au Vin] Classic French Cuisine traced to Julius Caesar

Coq au vin[kɔk o vɛ̃] means Rooster(or cock) cooked with wine in English.

Even though it's called "coq" au vin, most coq au vin is made with chickn.

I'd love to make it with a real cock or rooster, but I haven't found one yet at any market.

The dish I make should be rather called "Poulet au vin" as I make the dish with chicken.

I know that Julia Child introduced coq au vin a few times at her show, even though I didn't have a chance to see one live. I should try her coq au vin recipe some time.

However, as I like my coq au vin recipe I got from an old friend, I stick to the recipe, for now.

The dish traces back to the time Julius Caesar's Roman Empire conquered Gaul, region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy. So, the dish is invented about 2000 years ago!

According to the legend, the headman of an Averne(Gaul) tribe sent a rooster, symbol of the valor of the Gauls, to Romans who besieged him. Guess what? Caesar returned his politeness :( by inviting the headman to cena, the main meal of the day in ancient Roman culture, where he served the very rooster cooked with wine. 

I like the story. Don't you? It shows a flash of a wit of Caesar.

As the origin of the dish is Bourgogne(Burgundy), I mostly use a bottle of Pinot Noir from Burgundy,

but other mild dry wines of other regions would do.

Oh, by the way, not only Burgundy, but also Alsace, Champagne and Auvergne have claimed paternity of the dish. :) That is why there are many varieties of coq au vin such as coq au vin jaune(Jura), coq au Riesling (Alsace), coq au pourpre (Beaujolais nouveau), and coq au Champagne

You are supposed to use a coq(or a chicken) cut into 8 pieces. I tried to cut a chicken a few times, only to find that it would be a better idea to use chicken thighs and breasts that are already cut! :)

It's up to you. If you can cut chicken into pieces, without making a mess, please start from a whole rooster or a chicken, by all means. :)

I adore Julia Child and her recipes. But, sometimes, I like simple recipes too. 

Believe me. This coq au vin is not as complicated as Julia's. :)

Here goes my favorite coq au vin recipe.

Ingredients

a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (or 6-8 pieces of chicken parts of your choice)

2/3 bottle (= 2 cups) red wine 

8 oz shallots 

8 oz button mushroom (or as much as you want)

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

4-5 thick strips bacon, cut into crosswise

2 stalks celery

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon flour

Bouquet garni (bundle of herbs tied together 

with string, that includes parsley, thyme and bay leaf)

Directions

1. Wash chicken with cold water. Dry chicken thoroughly with kitchen towel. 

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Cut celery into small pieces and carrots into thin sticks, and mushroom into slices. Slice shallot into thin rings.

Tie herbs of your choice with a string, to make a bouquet garni.

2. Saute bacon several minutes in a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pan until lightly browned. I use a separate pan for sauteeing and braising, and a dutch oven for cooking in wine.

3. Add shallot and cook until shallot become translucent. Put aside.

4. Saute mushroom for 2-3 minutes. Put aside.

5. Heat butter and oil in pan to moderately hot, add chicken, skin side down first. Don't crowd the pan. (That is why I braise chicken in two batches). Turn to brown nicely on all sides.

Put aside. Leave fat in the pan.

If you braised chicken in a heavy bottomed pan, you continue to cook in the pan. If you used a separate pan for braising, it's time to move your chicken into a dutch oven/heavy bottomed pan with a lid.

6. Add carrot and celery pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add wine, bouquet garni(bundle of herbs) and garlic. Cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat, turning once.

8. Add bacon, shallot, and mushroom. Cook for 10 minutes.

9. Uncover the pan. Remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons flour to thicken the sauce. Simmer 2-3 minutes.

Taste carefully and season accordingly.

French baguette is a perfect match with coq au vin.

However, other carbohydrate such as long grain rice or noodle will be a good company too.

Surprisingly, basmati rice makes a nice companion to coq au vin. :)

Enjoy!

Coq au Vin