John Torode's mussels with white wine and dried ham
John has made his way to Kotor, Montenegro and is cooking up his steamed mussels in white wine live from a local mussel farm.
John Torode’s Mussels with White Wine and Dried Ham
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2kg live mussels 50ml olive oil 3 shallots, finely chopped5 garlic cloves, chopped50g butterDried Montenegrin ham (or bacon), diced 200ml white wine 100g thick sour cream Sea salt and freshly ground black pepperHandful flat parsley, roughly chopped Crusty bread, to serve
Method
1. Clean the mussels under running water, removing all beards and scraping off the barnacles. Discard any mussels with broken shells, or any which are open and do not close when they are tapped. Set aside.
2. Place a heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat. Add the oil and throw in the shallots and garlic, followed by the butter and chopped ham. Sweat for about 5 minutes over a medium heat until softened.
3. Add the cleaned mussels and wine, cover the pan and shake vigorously. Bring to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove the lid, and, if the mussels have all opened, remove from the saucepan and leave to one side covered with a towel to keep warm. If they haven’t opened, replace the lid and increase the heat. Shake the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then check again.
5. Bring the liquor in the pan back to the boil and reduce the volume by half. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes, then add the chopped parsley and season.
6. Return the mussels to the pan and stir well, but gently, so as not to dislodge them from their shells.
7. Ladle the muscles into four bowls along with the liquor and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the juices.