Eating alone is a trying thing for some people, writing cooking and eating off
as products of a banal bodily necessity. I love to eat and cook alone,
using the kitchen as an improvisational laboratory to experiment with
recipe ideas, flavor combinations, and cooking techniques. MFK Fisher,
a witty food writer with a fluid, deeply expressive writing style
bursting with gastronomic knowledge, shared my passion. She was one of
the best food writers out there, blurring the lines between the genres
of food anthropology, ecology, travel literature, and cooking.
Simply put, she made being a foodie cool long before it was fashionable. Her
great strength as a writer is her ability to drag you into her prose to
taste, smell, and feel your way through her experiences in and around
the kitchen. Mary Frances was not afraid to dine alone, in fact she
loved it, and one short and sweet chapter of her An Alphabet for Gourmets
I was in the mood to wine and dine myself tonight and decided to make a big bowl
of curried mussels. This is a fantastic way to make mussels, which
steam to perfection in five minutes accompanied by their cooking liquid
enriched with coconut milk. The East meets West vibe is an interesting
selling point of the dish, with the use of Schneider Weisse (an
amber-mahogany hefeweizen) and exotic spices like turmeric and curry
powder. I beseech you to shed the irrational fear of dining alone and
treat yourself to a fancy meal from time to time. As always, I
encourage you to enjoy and share delicious food and home cooked meals
with yourself and others!
Curried Mussels
Serves 4
5 lbs. mussels
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 tablespoon lemongrass, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 jalapeno, rib removed and minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup scallions
Salt & Pepper
1.
Heat the butter over medium heat in a large stockpot. Cook the shallot,
lemongrass, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaf until fragrant,
about 2 minutes. Add mussels, beer, cilantro, parsley, and salt &
pepper to the pot, cover, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes shaking
occasionally.
2. Remove mussels and set aside, discarding all
unopened ones. Filter the cooking liquid and return it to the pot over
low heat. Add the coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder, and scallions
to the sauce and whisk until combined. Bring to a low simmer.
3.
Shell the mussels, reserving 10-12 intact for presentation, and add
them to the sauce before serving. Serve with crusty bread and a sprig
of both parsley and cilantro.