Creamy Garlic Mussels

It’s been a week or so since my birthday, and on my eating wish list, I wanted a meal in! It wasn’t just any meal in… oh no… I wanted my Aunt Mary’s creamy garlic mussels. I had passed up cupcakes and snacks that day just to make sure I had ample room in my belly for this treat. I know, of all the days to hold myself back, this shouldn’t have been one of them. When you try this recipe out, you will understand why.  

There’s no surprise how this became a winner in my books; you should know me by now… The combination of garlic, cream and mussels is enough to excite my palette. My Aunt Mary made this huge family size pot of creamy garlic mussels for six of us one summer's evening. It became an instant firm favourite; a note pad and pen was whipped out during the meal, in case we never got around to getting it ever again. For any Deane to act that quickly, just shows how good that dish really was! It was a recipe we had to have and too good to let remain a secret. After my first mouthful, I couldn’t stop, and eventually finished whatever was left in the pot!

I’ve been in many restaurants that serve this type of dish, but there none can beat my Aunt Mary's. You may think I am being biased, but you’ll never know how indulgent, irresistible and moreish it is until you have tried it. So, here is Mary’s recipe for creamy garlic mussels; enjoy it with fresh warm Portuguese rolls to lap up every bit of the sauce in your bowl.

 Ingredients

300g - 500g Mussel meat

4 tsp Crushed garlic (heaped)

Aromat to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Dry white wine

2 Tubs (250ml) cream

Milk

2 tsp Maizena (mixed in some water)

150g Tussers Cheese (grated)

Instruction:

1. Put all the mussel meat in a pot.

2. Pour the white wine into pot, to just cover the mussels.

3. Add 3 heaped teaspoons of crushed garlic and salt to taste.

4. Put on the boil for 20 – 30 minutes on a high heat (until there is about 2 Tablespoons of wine left over).

5. Reduce the heat to half the temperature and add 2 tubs of cream to the pot (if the cream does not just cover the mussels, then add milk as well).

6. Add Aromat to taste (or salt)and last heaped teaspoon of garlic.

7. Bring to the boil slowly.

8. Mix a little bit of water to the dry Maizena to make it liquidy, and add very slowly to make a thick-ish liquid consistency (You do not have to use all the maizena).

9. Remove the pot off the heat and add your grated cheese to the pot (this will thicken a little bit more). 

 Serves: 3 – 4 people