Magical moules

One of our favourite meals to cook in the flat is mussels. I've always loved them but until I moved to London last year had never cooked them. So Sarah and I experimented. And my gosh they are so easy to make. We recreate on a regular basis and it is now our go to simple weekend supper when we're both home. 

Once you get over the fact that you have to scrub off the beards and cut off anything that may be growing on the shells, the whole process takes about 10 minutes and they're totally delicious. De-beard under running water to keep the shells closed at room temperature and use a big sharp knife to cut off any barnacles shells that may come off when cooking. 

Our recipe is simple and classic. Measurements are fairly unnecessary. 

Onion

Garlic

A little bit of butter

White wine

Cream

A big bunch of fresh thyme

Salt
Pepper

And a big loaf of crusty bread or french stick to make sure you get to eat all the sauce!

And it really is simple…

Pop a knob of butter in a big pan with a lid. Le Creuset is perfect for this. Once melted, add a chopped onion or two to the pan and sweat for a few minutes until soft. Add in the mussels (one bag will feed 2 hungry people), a few cloves of garlic, and a good glug of white wine. Pop the lid on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Don't lift the lid until this time but give the pan a few good shakes while the mussels are cooking. Remove the lid, check if the shells have opened. If they haven't cook for another minute or two.

Add in a pot of double cream, the bunch of thyme, chopped and season well. Cook for another minute or two with the lid off and serve with lots of warm bread.

Take the pot to the table, light some candles and get serving!

Until you make it you won't know quite how simple they are but its a great dinner party secret…