Fennel Steamed Mussels Provencal Recipes

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel; cook until just soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil to reduce slightly. Add the tomatoes and tarragon, then cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water and the mussels. Raise the heat to high, cover and cook until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Check halfway through and transfer any open mussels to a serving bowl.) Transfer all the mussels to a serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Season the sauce with pepper and, if needed, salt, and pour over the mussels. Serve with the bread.
• Photograph By Antonis Achilleos

STEAMED MUSSELS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Broth: In a medium sauce pan, slowly roast 3 cups of shrimp heads and shells in a small amount of oil until crisp and fragrant. Add all ingredients except water. Reduce by 1/4 and add water to cover the shells by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, chill, and reserve.
• Rouille: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and process until foamy, slowly drizzle in the oil until thick, season. You want this thick enough to dollop.
• Mussels: Place the carrots, fennel and leeks in a medium sauce pan with the saffron broth and the mussels. Cover and steam for 2 minutes or until the mussels have opened (discard any unopened mussels.) Remove mussels and divide among 4 service bowls. Add the tomatoes to the vegetables along with the herbs. Reduce for 4 minutes. Mount in the butter and season. Top each bowl of mussels with vegetables and broth. Mound with a generous dollop of rouille and serve with grilled bread.

MUSSELS WITH TOMATOES, HERBS AND GARLIC (MOULES PROVENçALE)

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, celery, garlic, basil and bouquet garni, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned.
• Mix in the tomato paste and tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Put the mussels in a casserole dish with the wine, over high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes only, until the mussels have opened, stirring frequently to ensure they are evenly cooked.
• Pour off the cooking liquid, discard any mussels that have not opened, and return the opened mussels, in their shells, to the casserole dish.
• Pour the hot tomato sauce over the mussels and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve at once.

MUSSELS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and mushrooms, and add the mussels. Season with basil, oregano, and tarragon. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in olives and fresh tomatoes. Cover, and simmer 5 minutes.
• Serve mussels and sauce over pasta.

STEAMED MUSSELS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Scrub the mussels, remove beards and barnacles, and wash in cold water, agitating with the hand; repeat until the water remains clear. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan or kettle. Add garlic, fennel, onions and sweet red pepper, and cook briefly over medium-high heat until wilted. Do not burn garlic. Stir often.
• Add tomatoes, saffron, turmeric, pepper flakes, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes.
• Add mussels and basil. Cover tightly, and cook over high heat until all mussels are opened, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately with French or crusty Italian bread.

FENNEL PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Fry the onions and garlic gently in the olive oil in a large saucepan.
• Add the chopped fennel and cook for approximately five minutes.
• Add the white wine, simmer for ten minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and the herbs.
• Cover the pot and simmer for fifteen minutes.
• Remove lid and simmer further uncovered to thicken sauce if preferred.
• Just prior to serving add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• May be served cold.

MUSSELS PROVENçAL

Steps:

• Rinse the mussels under cold water. Soak in ice cold water for approximately 30 minutes to purge before cooking. Discard any with broken shells or those which do not close on their own.
• Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil and pancetta to the pan and cook until the pancetta starts to brown. Add in the onions and cook until translucent. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 to 60 seconds before adding in the tomatoes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white wine and bring everything to a boil. Add the mussels and cook until they begin to open. Add in the parsley and lemon juice. Season with salt and mix well.
• Place the mussels in a shallow bowl with a spoon. Discard any mussels that do not open. Pour the remaining sauce over the mussels. Serve with toasted baguette and/or frites for a true Belgian experience.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND OUZO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat on the grates of the grill. Stir in shallots and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Add white wine and ouzo and reduce by half. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook until the mussels are open, discarding any that do not. Stir in the remaining basil and serve in large bowls with grilled bread.

LINGUINE WITH MUSSELS PROVENCALE

Steps:

• Scrub and debeard the mussels.
• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a three- to four-quart pot. Add half the onions and one clove of the garlic and saute over low heat until soft but not brown. Stir in one-third of the tomatoes, cook a few minutes so they begin to soften, then add the wine.
• Bring to boil, add the mussels, cover and steam until the mussels open, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the mussels from the pan to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Set them aside until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile add the cream to the cooking liquid and cook until the liquid is reduced to one cup.
• Remove the mussels from their shells, reserving eight of them in their shells for garnish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the remaining onion, garlic and the sweet red pepper and cook until they begin to brown. Stir in the remaining tomatoes and saute about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender. Stir in the cooking liquid from the mussels and cook a few minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the mussels and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
• When the water is boiling cook the linguine for six to seven minutes, until al dente. Drain and place in a warm serving dish. Reheat the mussel sauce, toss with the linguine and divide among four plates. Garnish each plate with two of the reserved mussels in their shells.

FENNEL-STEAMED MUSSELS, PROVENCE STYLE

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat; a minute later, add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, and tomatoes and tarragon if you're using them. Bring to a boil, cook for about a minute, add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.
• Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.
• Variations
• There are many, many herbs, spices, vegetables, and other seasonings that can lend a licorice flavor, including anise seeds or ground anise; five-spice powder; ouzo or raki, the anise-scented liqueurs of the eastern Mediterranean; and tarragon, chervil, even basil-especially Thai basil. (You could probably throw in a few pieces of Good&Plenty while you're at it.)
• Or you can go super-minimal and make plain steamed mussels. The procedure is the same, but omit all ingredients except mussels, oil, and garlic. Shake the pot a couple of times while cooking. These are great with a little melted butter (laced with minced garlic if you like) drizzled over them and a big loaf of crusty bread.
• Mussels
• Every year, we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are far tastier but harder to clean.
• When cleaning mussels, discard any with broken shells. If the mussels have beards-the hairy vegetative growth that is attached to the shell-trim them off. Those mussels that remain closed after the majority have been steamed open can be pried open with a knife (a butter knife works fine) at the table.