QUICK AND EASY MEALS

SPICEY MARINERS MUSSELS

(Moules marinier)

I cannot resist when I see a big bag of fresh mussels ,it really is one of my favourite French dishes and really easy to prepare ,here in Spain by the coast they are in abundance , you serve this dish with some fresh crusty bread and a glass of white wine and a green salad.

but you have to get stuck in and clean the mussels first which puts most people off .(it just boils down to cleaning off the barnicles and pulling out the grassy bit that attatches itself to the mussel ,don't be too fussy but always discard open or cracked shelled mussels.)

ingredients

butter

olive oil 

garlic 2-3 cloves per kilo mussels (a kilo will serve two adults,)

one large onion diced

1 kilo mussels cleaned

1 fresh red chile deseeded and diced

two glasses white wine 

fresh tyme chopped

ground black pepper

small bunch of fresh parsley chopped

two lemons squeezed and zest scraped.

sea salt 

Method

prepare your table first with a big bowl to throw the shells away  and cut the bread.....you need a fairly large pan preferably with a glass lid to see  the mussels opening.....heat the butter in the pan and add the garlic and diced onion ,.....cook slowly untill transparent,(not browned off)5 mins...then add all together the chile ,mussels, wine,thyme ,salt,&pepper.turn up the heat and cook for 10 mins until the mussels are all open(toss occasionally while they are cooking to get the flavour even.)

once they are cooked take the mussels out without throwing away the liquid and place them in a serving bowl,

add the lemon juice to the liquid in the pan and heat quickly for three mins until it boils add the chooped parsley and then pour the liquid over the mussels and serve with the bread and salad.

buen provecho.    

 I WAS A HEAD CHEF FOR OVER 12 YEARS ,AND NOT WANTING TO BLOW MY OWN TRUMPET TOO MUCH ,I HAD ALOT OF GOOD REMARKS ABOUT MY FOOD ....SO I´M GOING TO START TO SHARE SOME OF MY RECIPIES WITH YOU ALL AND HOPE YOU ENJOY...................
TO START A QUICK AND EASY MEAL THATS ALSO QUITE HEALTHY.....

FRIZZEE GOATS CHEESE SALAD
AND PAN FRIED COD WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND NUTMEG PUREE.....

INGREDIENTS...
FOR THE SALAD
FRIZEE LETTUCE
GOATS CHEESE(THE LITTLE ROLLS YOU BUY IN THE SUPERMARKET ARE FINE)
CHERRY TOMATOES 
SMOKED BACON CUT IN SMALL PIECES
PINE NUTS
RAISINS
BALSAMIC VINAGER 
OLIVE OIL
SALT /PEPPER

FOR THE FISH AND MASH
I FILET OF COD PER PERSON 200G IS ENOUGHYOUR SALAD
ROCK SALT AND A LITTLE OLIVE OIL 
POTATOES AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH OF EQUAL QUANTITY.

METHOD
FISRT CUT AND DICE THE POTATOES AND SQUASH AND PLACE INTO BOILING WATER TO COOK FOR YOUR MASH...

THEN PREPARE YOUR SALAD.....WASH THE FRIZZEE AND PLACE IN BOWL..FRY OFF THE BACON FIRST AND TAKE OUT TO COOL...THEN ADD THE RAISINS TO THE BACON FAT IN THE PAN AND LIGHTLY FRY ...THEN ADD THE PINE NUTS...(BE CAREFUL THEY BURN EASILY ,ALWAYS GENTLE HEAT)TAKE THEM OUT ONCE GOLDEN BROWN AND LEAVE TO COOL ALSO.....CUT UP THE CHERRY TOMATOES IN HALFS AND DICE THE GOATS CHEESE.....ONCE THE CHEESE IS CUT PLACE IT WITH THE TOMATOES AND THE FRIZZEE IN THE BOWL LEAVING JUST THE PINE NUTS ,BACON AND RAISINS SEPARATE WHICH I ALWAYS FLASH HEAT AT THE LAST MINUTE BEFORE SERVING...AND ADD TO THE SALAD...OIL VINAGER SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE.

CHECK YOUR POTATOES AND IF THEY ARE READY JUST TURN OFF THE WATER AND LEAVE THEM WHILE YOU COOK THE FISH......MEDIUM HEAT ..FIRST ROCK SALT IN THE PAN AND A LITTLE OLIVE OIL (I PREFER BUTTER )AND SLOWLY PAN FRY UNTIL THE FISH IS FIRM AND COOKED THROUGH...JUST BEFORE IT IS FINISHED DRAIN YOUR BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND POTATOES AND ADD PLENTY OF NUTMEG SALT AND PEPPER (ALWAYS TASTE AS YOU GO AND REMEMBER ITS EASY TO ADD BUT NOT TO TAKE AWAY)

ALL READY SERVE THE FISH WITH THE MASH AND THE SALAD ON THE SIDE 

QUE APROVECHE..