You CAN eat CLOSED muscles + recipes

I must have thrown away hundreds of muscles in my time because they were closed! But after watching QI on BBC last night with Stephen Fry, it now looks like the 'throw away closed muscles' fact is actually wrong!! :-) Stephen Fry said that scientists in Australia have now stated that closed muscles are fresher then opened ones, all you need to do is a get a blunt knife and open them. I have double checked this on the internet and it seems to be very true!

So now i'm going to cook some muscles and not waste any! Some information on storing and cooking muscles follows:

Mussels are highly nutritious with lots of protein, calcium and iron, and relatively little fat. What little fat they contain is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which are well recognised for their health-giving properties, especially in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Mussels will normally be gaping or open on arrival. This is because the mussels are in a very relaxed state when under chilled conditions. If you want to store mussels before consumption, it is very important that the mussels are kept in moist, chilled conditions. If you are storing the mussels in a refrigerator, it is best to cover them with a tea towel.

The ideal method to keep the mussels in the best condition is to; place them in a container with drainage holes, for example a polystyrene container. Cover them with a thin material that will allow the water through, e.g a cotton tea towel. Place a layer of ice on top of the material. The melting ice water will keep the mussels chilled and keep their high quality for up to ten days from harvest.

The simplest yet delicious recipe to cook muscles is to take a saucepan with a close-fitting lid, fill it with mussels, and put it on high heat for a few minutes until you see a lot of steam escaping. At this point, check that they look open on top and drain out the shell liquor and spread them out on a tray to cool rapidly. Eat hot with a squeeze of lemon juice or to make an attractive entree in 5 minutes, pre-make a garlic, lemon juice, black pepper and parsley marinade and pull of one shell leaving the mussel behind in the other. Drizzle marinade over hot mussel and serve.

Very fresh and tasty!

I've always loved ordering paella on holiday but I've always found the recipes quite hard to follow and get right. I've tried the one below and found it was very simple to follow and delicious to eat!! Its a great foundation to start with because you can literally add anything you like the paella! I'm going to try adding different shellfish next time I try it! It also looks very impressive and colourful on the middle of the table and definately a dish for dinner parties!!

Recipe for a simple yet tasty paella

No two Spanish cooks make this classic recipe in exactly the same way and the choice and quantities of the ingredients vary from home to home. It is usually made using a large flat pan with a dimpled bottom.

Traditionally paella is made from using medium grain rice but this version uses long-grain rice.

To serve 6 you will need about; 1 litre of chicken stock, 1/2 tsp of saffron, 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 large onion, chopped, 4 large garlic cloves, crushed, 1 tsp paprika, 2 red peppers, sliced, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 350g long-grain rice, 200ml dry sherry, 500g cooked mussels, 200g cooked tiger prawns, the juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and ground black pepper, lemon wedges and parsley sprigs to serve.

1. Heat the stock, then add the saffron and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the chicken thighs into three pieces.
2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and, working in batches, fry the chicken for 3-5 minutes until pale golden brown. Set the chicken aside.
3. Lower the heat slightly and add the remaining oil. Fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and paprika and stir for 1 minute. Add chicken, peppers and tomatoes.
4. Stir in the rice, then add one third of the stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Add the remaining stock a little at a time, letting it become absorbed into the rice before adding more (this should take around 25mins) Add the sherry and continue cooking for another 2 minutes - the rice should be quite wet, as it will continue to absorb liquid.
7. Add the mussels and prawns to the pan, including all their juices, with the lemon juice. Stir them in and cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Adjust the seasoning and garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of fresh parsley.

Delicious!!!

Recipe 2

Mussel and Potato Stew-great for the cold months!!!!

To serve 4 you will need; 25g butter, 200g pack rindless back bacon rashers-cut into strips, 700g white potatoes, ct into large chunks, 198g can drained sweetcorn kernels, 1kg fresh mussels, 140ml single cream, 1tbsp freshly chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the bacon and cook, stirring until the strips separate. Add the potatoes and 150ml water and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.
2. Add the sweetcorn and mussels to the pan, cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the mussels open....but you can still eat the closed ones!! Only discard damaged ones! Add the cream and chopped parsley, and serve.

Damages mussels- any with cracks or split shells.

Quick and tasty dish to keep you warm during the winter :-)

Per serving:

472 calories, 23g fat (of which saturates), 42g carbohydrate and 2.8g salt

Recipe 3

A chowder of mussels and leeks- serves 4, 30minutes to make, 23-24 minutes to cook

Ingredients

150g smoked steaky bacon, cut into thin strips

40g butter

3 leeks, thinly sliced

1kg mussels, cleaned

2 x 125ml glasses white vermouth

450g potatoes, cut into large dice

200ml double cream

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Few srigs fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. Add the bacon to a deep, thick bottomed pan over a medium hea with the butter and cook until lightly coloured. turn down the heat, add the leeks and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for 20 minutes, with an occasional stir, until they are soft and sweet (they should not colour). Remove from heat.
2. Check the mussels and discard any that are broken, open or are exceptionally heavy. Put them in a large pot, pour in the vermouth and cover tightly with a lid. Place over a high heat till they have opened, then remove each mussel from its shell.
3. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with 400ml of the mussel cooking liquor, drained through a sieve. Add the cream, bay leaves, thyme and a little black pepper, no salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat so the potatoes simmer for 10 minutes.
   
4. Add three-quarters of the cooked potatoes to the leeks and bacon. Put the remainder in a blender with the cream (pick out the herbs) and blitz briefly until smooth (be careful not to blitz for too long as the mixture can turn grummy). Pour into the pan and add the mussels and parsley. Bring all to the boil and serve. 

Per serving; 670kcal, 46.4g fat 25.3g of which saturates, 21.7g protein, 27.4g carbs, 4.9g sugar, 2g salt

Delicious with warm fresh granary bread and a glass of cold cider!