Subject: Mussel Soup (Zuppa di Cozze)
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Sun Jul 27 2003 - 11:05:18 EDT
__________________________________________________
FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________
Frequent contributor Anna Welander writes, "This is a nasty one."
A woman and a man were involved in a car accident. Both of their cars
were totally demolished, but amazingly, neither of them were hurt.
After they crawled out of their cars, the woman said, "So, you're a
man - that's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars!
There's nothing left, but fortunately we are both unhurt. This must
be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends, and live
together in peace for the rest of our days."
The man thoughtfully replied, "I agree with you completely. This must
be a sign from God!"
The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My
car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break.
Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good
fortune."
Then she handed the bottle to the man. The man nodded his head in
agreement, opened it, and drank half the bottle. He then handed it
back to the woman. The woman took the bottle, and immediately put the
cork back in, and handed it back to the man. In surprise, he asked,
"Aren't you having any?"
"No," the woman replied, "I think I'll just wait for the police..."
__________________________________________________
TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________
Don't worry about the amount of liquid called for in this recipe - it
is meant to be more like mussels in little seasoned broth rather than
a typical soup.
Mussel Soup (Zuppa di Cozze)
4-6 dozen fresh mussels in their shells
1/2 cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped onion
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped celery
1 15-oz (420 g) can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped,
with the liquid
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine, clam juice, or fish stock
2 Tbs (30 ml) chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon zest
Italian bread
Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and remove the "beard" using a
sharp knife. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat and
saute the garlic, onion, and celery until lightly browned, about 10
minutes. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, the wine, basil, salt,
and pepper, and simmer uncovered over low heat for 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add the mussels, cover, and cook over high
heat until the mussels have opened, about 10 minutes. Divide the
mussels between individual serving bowls, discarding any unopened
shells. Spoon the soup over them and garnish with lemon zest. Serve
with crusty Italian bread for sopping up the broth. Serves 4 to 6.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Fri Aug 01 2003 - 00:00:01 EDT