MUSSELS WITH GARLIC & WHITE WINE

This is such an easy, quick and delicious recipe to make. You can't find it any better in a fine restaurant. 

Lee's Kitchen Tips: 
Ask your fishmonger if your mussels are wild or cultivated. If they are wild, make sure they have beards attached. Do not remove beards until just before cooking. Removing the beards causes the mussels to slowly die. Wild mussels have a strong, more gamey taste. Cultivated mussels do not have any noticeable beards and have a more delicate taste. 

2 lbs live fresh mussels, wild or cultivated

2 T avocado oil
4 T unsalted butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced

1 t fresh thyme leaves or ½ t dried thyme

½ t red pepper flakes (optional)

½ t saffron threads (optional)
1 cup dry white wine

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T chopped Italian parsley

Lemon wedges, for serving

Crusty Italian or French bread

Scrub the mussels with a brush under cold running water and place in a large bowl in your refrigerator. Discard any broken shells.

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.

Add shallots and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, thyme, red pepper flakes, and saffron, if using.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Remove beards from wild mussels with a pair of "kitchen-only" needle-nose pliers or by hand, just before cooking. 

Add wine to the pot and bring to a boil.

Add mussels, cover, reduce heat and simmer until shells open, about 6 to 7 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.

Ladle into a warm serving bowl or two warm bowls and garnish with parsley.

Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread for dipping.

Serves 2

BLACKBERRY-LEMONADE MARGARITA

If you're a fan of margaritas, you will love this one. It is not overly sweet and so delicious with the flavor of blackberries and lemons. Double the recipe to make 4 drinks.

Blackberry Puree

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

1 to 2 T granulated sugar

Margaritas

2 lemons

¼ cup Blackberry Puree

4 oz lemonade (I used Simply Lemonade)

4 oz silver tequila

Process blackberries in a blender until smooth. 

Place a wire mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the blackberry puree into the strainer. Gently press it through the strainer with a wooden spoon.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the puree and stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to make your margaritas.

Place some sea salt on a plate and add the zest of ½ lemon.

Cut the other half of lemon into a wedge and run the cut side around the rim of your glasses.

Dip the moistened rim into the salt and lemon zest mixture.

Fill glasses with ice and freeze until ready to serve.

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher ½ full with ice.

Add the ¼ cup of Blackberry Puree, 4 oz lemonade, 4 oz tequila, and juice of ½ lemon.

Shake or stir vigorously and strain into the two prepared glasses.

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a blackberry before serving.

Makes 2 margaritas

BRAISED SHORT RIBS OVER MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC GREEN BEANS

Nothing makes a cold evening more bearable than something hot and hearty out of the oven. This is a great meal for a Sunday supper. Merlot is my favorite red wine.

Serve this meal with a glass of Merlot and you will love the flavors of cherries, plums, and blueberries in the wine. This version is more of a 'city-style' short ribs dinner.

¼ cup flour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T avocado oil

4 beef chuck short ribs, (approximately 2 lbs) trimmed of excess fat

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, cut in half

2 cups red wine, preferably Merlot 

1 cup beef broth

1 T tomato paste

1 small sprig fresh rosemary

1 small sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and generously season with salt and pepper.

Dredge short ribs on all sides and set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the short ribs to the pot and brown very well on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove and set aside on a plate.

Add onions and carrots to the pot and stir to caramelize, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Return the meat to the pot and pour in the wine and beef broth.

Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.

Cover with a lid and place in the oven and bake until meat is fork-tender, about 2 to 2 ½ hours.

When done, remove ribs to a platter and keep warm.

Strain out the solids from the liquid and pour back into the pot.

Set on top of the stove and slightly reduce over medium heat.

Add the butter at the end for flavor and sheen.

Serve over mashed potatoes and top with a few green beans.

Green Beans with Garlic and Shallots

1 lb green beans, root end snapped off

1 T extra-light olive oil

1 shallot, cut in half and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 T freshly grated lemon zest

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Bring a large skillet of salted water to a boil. 
Add beans and boil for 1 minute.

Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water and set aside.

In the same large skillet, add the oil and sauté the shallot for a couple of minutes. 
Add the garlic and sauté another minute. 
Add the beans and lemon zest and heat through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Turn off heat and add the tomatoes and gently stir.

Serves 2 (with leftover green beans for another meal)

SPINACH SALAD WITH HUCKLEBERRIES, CRANBERRIES, BLUE CHEESE, HAZELNUTS, & RASPBERRY-POPPY SEED VINAIGRETTE

I recently had a salad similar to this at a seafood restaurant in the Seattle area. I added dried cranberries for another layer of flavor. I found wild huckleberries on a road stand but you can certainly use blueberries for this recipe and it will be equally good.

Raspberry-Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

¼ cup raspberry wine vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Zest and Juice of ½ lemon

1 T honey

1 t Dijon mustard

2 t poppy seeds

Pour all above ingredients into a jar fitted with a tight lid and shake vigorously to combine.

Refrigerate until ready to use and shake again before pouring.

Salad

¼ T hazelnuts

1 large bunch fresh spinach, rinsed, spun dry, and long stems trimmed

¼ cup fresh huckleberries or blueberries

2 T dried cranberries

¼ cup blue cheese, broken into bits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Pour nuts onto a clean tea towel or a couple layers of paper towels and let cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle, rub vigorously between towel layers to rub off most of the skin and set aside in a small bowl.

Place trimmed spinach into a salad bowl and add huckleberries, cranberries, and blue cheese.

Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette and toss lightly.

Add the hazelnuts and blue cheese and lightly toss again.

Divide between 2 to 4 salad plates.