Mussels For Gourmets On A Diet
Instructions:
- 2 kg fresh Zeeland mussels, the larger the better (and more expensive)
- 100-200 g peeled and thinly sliced carrots
- 100 g thinly sliced celery
- a small leek, thinly sliced
- 6-10 garlic cloves, finely chopped (this is one secret ingredient!)
- a small onion, finely chopped
- 100-200 ml dry white wine
- 0.5 g saffron (this is the other secret ingredient)
- Clean the mussels and discard those that appear to be dead, i.e. will not close their shells when a friendly pressure has been applied a few times. Parboil the veggie mix in the microwave oven at full power (700 W), 1.5 minutes for every 100 gram of vegetables.
- Transfer the vegetables to a 6 liter casserole, add the wine, the saffron and the mussels and bring to a boil.
- Stir now and then (about every 10 seconds), using a wooden fork if available, until all the mussels have opened (this should only take a few minutes). The dish is now ready to be served.
- The mussels can best be served together with toast, aïoli and, if available, zeekraal. The easiest way to eat the mussels is to use a pair of empty mussel shells as tweezers to pick the mussel meat out of the shells.