Fresh Mussels steamed in dark Beer

Where we live, in between Johannesburg and Pretoria and hundreds of kms from the sea, it's quit difficult to find fresh mussels. It's a pitty, because I really do LOVE them and NEED them. We have eaten them once in a restaurant on 4th Avenue in Joburg. Two weeks ago at the Food Lovers Market here in Centurion I found them and I was over the moon. I bought the whole batch and took the little darlings home. Later on I found out that Bazaruto fishmarket sells them on order, but you have to take 5 kg, so I'm thinking of ordering 10 kg and throwing a big mussel party for all my mussel loving friends very soon!! If you can't find live mussels, forget about the whole thing (please don't even try, it will be a very big dissapointment), frozen mussels are not an option: they are dead and therefore rubbery and chewy.

You will need about 3/4 to1 kg fresh mussels per person. The shells have to be closed, or close when you tap them. Throw away open or broken shells. Wash them under running water, take the barnacles attached to the shells off with a sharp knife, as well as the beards (hairy dark green stuff), that might still be on some of them. 

One tip if you are still in the process of trying to like mussels: do not open and have a look inside the mussel itself, it will probably put you off eating it... Not my 5 year old girl however, she is attracted to the strangest looking food and will eat or at least try anything!

Serves 4 (main course):

- 3 kg - 4 kg live mussels

- 1 tbsp olive oil- 1 onion, finely chopped

- handful of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

- 1 (0.33 l) bottle of dark (Belgian) beer

- 2 cups water

- salt and pepper to taste  

In a musselpan (or just a high, big, not to heavy pan with a lid) saute onion for a minute in a splash of olive oil or butter. Add mussels, beer, water, parsley and celery and boil/steam for a few minutes, until all the shells have opened (shake the pan a few times to check this). As soon as the shells are open, serve in the pan with frieten (fries) or crusty bread and some dipsauces (mayonaise garlic dip, chutney curry dip, herb dip, etc). Don't forget to eat the delicious beer soup you will end up with! (Afterwards, you can save the soup, reduce it to 1/3 and, with a little cream, turn it in to a delicious pasta sauce!)  

Mixed Paella

Paella, which has its origins in Valencia, is a very grateful dish. I really enjoy preparing it, serving it and eating it. You can make it with whatever you like (rabbit, chicken, shellfish, sausage, frogs or snails). Served in a big paella pan it looks and smells fabulous and it's a great dish to dig in with the whole family. There are many different types of paella, but this one has everything I like in it.

Serves 6

- good splash of olive oil

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 600 g semi-long grain rice or short grain rice (like risotto rice)

- about 0,8 l stock

- 6 chicken drumsticks

- 1 red pepper, chopped

- 1-2 g saffron

- 1 small and thin dry sausage like a dry salami, cut in thick coin sized slices

- 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped- 2 handfuls of peas (frozen will do)

- (15 mussels)

- 12-15 big prawns
- handful of parsley, finely chopped
- pepper, salt

- 1 lemon, cut in wedges

If possible use a big paella pan. This is a wide, shallow, thin base pan. If you don't have a paella pan, just use a big frying pan or a wok.

Start with sauteing onions and garlic on medium heat in some olive oil. When translucent add chopped red pepper and rice and stir until it's coated with oil.

Add some ladlesful of stock and stir. Let it come to a gentle boil and when all the fluid has been absorbed, add some more stock.

Roast your saffron in a dry hot pan. Then crumble it in the rice an stir.

In the meantime fry the seasoned chicken in a separate pan and keep warm (in some aluminum foil or on low heat in the oven) when crispy.

When the rice is close to being "al dente" add the sausage.

Fry the seasoned prawns in some olive oil.

Cook the mussels in their shells.

A few minutes before serving, add peas and tomato.

Taste and, if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

A few minutes later stir in tomato and peas.

Finish off with the chopped parsley.

Arrange drum sticks, prawns, mussels and lemon on top of the rice and serve.