very easy mussels steamed in wine with parsley pesto

I popped into Giovanni’s the other day to see what was new and to feel inspired. The place is pretty much food retail heaven for me. I enjoy chatting to either Nic or Giovanni who are almost always around with friendly advice and ideas about what to make with their delicious produce.

I found a few exciting things, including a pack of fresh mussels which have been rope grown from an aqua farm in Saldanah and a tub of bright green parsley pesto.  I am not sure how new this is, but I hadn’t noticed it over the years whilst busy buying either the coriander or basil pesto which I love.

The ideas sprang to mind.

I also found a few magnificent seasonal artichokes, but that is saved for another day.

This is my first recipe and falls into the super easy category (5 ingredients) and seriously its about pure simplicity, no pretension.

What you will need to make this almost instant and delicious supper, snack or tapas:

• 500gms of fresh mussels in the shell
• 1 shallot, 1/4 of an onion or a few spring onions finely chopped (optional)
• 2 Tbs of butter (aprox)
• 3/4 cup of dry white wine
• 2 heaped Tbs of parsley pesto
• splash of cream (optional)

How to make this:

• melt the butter in a large lidded pot and gently saute the onion for a few minutes until soft
• add the wine and once its boiling add the mussels in the shell and put the lid back on
• cook for about 2-3 minutes until all the shells are open
• take off the lid and add pesto and heat through
• remove the mussels from the liquid with a slotted spoon and put them in a serving dish
• allowe the liquid to reduce slightly and then added the cream
• cook for a further minute and then pour over the mussels
• serve straight away with crusty bread or slices of crispy toast

Packed with flavour and so simple to make, the pesto has all the flavours that go so well with this dish. You could also just add chopped fresh parsley and garlic to the onions or use basil pesto or fresh thyme like I did here.

 

I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.