Back when we lived together in Toronto a few years ago, my Canuck friend Lauren and I shared a small thing for reality tv shows. As much as I hate to admit it, watching the train wreck that was the Bachelor was indeed brainless entertainment. Big Brother, another reality show filmed in several countries, is supremely popular in Australia. Every sunday the show and its viewers purge one of the housemates following a long, drawn-out special show episode ... sounded like a good excuse to us for some barbecue, seafood and wine.
In an attempt to bring a bit of home cuisine along with me to Sydney, three of my cookbooks made the flight with me from Toronto: the first for patriotic reasons ("Best of Canada"), the second for future discovery ("Surfing the Menu") and the third because it’s the one book I consistently use over and over to impress dinner guests ("Chez Piggy"). Those of you who graduated from Queen's University may remember Chez Piggy as being one of Kingston, Ontario’s more recognized culinary hotspots. This mussel dish is one of the few recipes that I can pull off with my eyes closed. Although the mussels are great, the broth is probably the best part about this dish. Have lots of bread handy to soak up all the white wine sauce once the mussels have been finished off and the shells have been discarded.
That Sunday afternoon, before Big Brother aired, we made a quick trip to Sydney's Fish Market, justifiably famous for (you guessed it) its seafood and shellfish vendors.
No problem finding top quality mussels for later on (although mussels are sold in Australia without their "beards" removed, for whatever reason ... this requires an additional clean-up step not usually necessary in Canada).
Having lived in central Canada for some time, it was very odd to be walking through the Fish Market parking lot and run not into pigeons, or squirrels, but rather pellicans (they're WAY bigger in person than expected) which were wandering around looking for handouts. Bizarre.
I present to you "Mussels Piri Piri", a Portugese treatment for mussels.
(Be warned, depending on how many chilies you use in the sauce, the heat tends to stay around for a while on your lips / tongue ... and consequently transfers quite easily to other people's ... ummm ... well, their lips / tongues also if you kiss them, for instance ... Be warned, I'm speaking from experience). *grin*
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 3 lemons
3 dried bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1-3 red chillies (depending on heat tolerance), seeded and chopped
1/2 bottle dry white wine
1 KG mussels per person, discard any open (i.e. dead) mussels
Fresh coriander for garnish
Method
Bring all ingredients except mussels and coriander to a gentle boil. Once bubbling, add mussels, cover, and increase heat. Toss gently a couple of times. Once shells begin to open from the steam, transfer mussel to large bowls for serving, garnish each serving with a dash of fresh chopped coriander, and pour remaining broth over the mussels. Serve immediately.
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