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Monday, October 17, 2011

Dale's Pale Beer Mussels

This recipe was created for a pot luck party we hosted that had the theme ingredent of Beer. It blends in the hop flavors of the IPA you choose with the tomatoes, carrots, shallots, and just a bit of a kick from the red pepper flakes.

Tools Required:
A 6 QT Soup Pot with Lid.

Ingredients:
1 can (12 oz) of Dale’s Pale Ale (its your choice of Pale Ale or IPA, but was chose Dale’s because of the amazing flavor you get in a can. We are aiming to infuse the hops flavor and scent into the dish since it lends tremendous flavor and aroma to your mussels)
4 pounds mussels, cleaned
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup diced or crushed Fresh Tomatoes
1/4 cup finely diced Shallots
1/4 cup diced Carrots (1/4 inch Chunks)
1 sprig thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme (Fresh Thyme is better)
1/2 tablespoon of dried chili flakes (optional depending on if you like heat)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:
Place a large Soup Pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and combine with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add the carrot, shallots, tomatoes, thyme, dried chili flakes, and sauté until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beer first and stur, then slowly add the mussels and cover with the lid. Let steam for 5 minutes or until the mussels open. Throw away any mussels that do not open.

Pour the mussels into a large serving bowl, spoon the vegetables and liquid over the mussels and sprinkle with parsley, which adds a fresh taste and a great color to the mussels.

Notes:
We found that when you are cooking the vegetables the Tomatoes tend to reduce and blend into the beer as part of the sauce. If you want sauce to be chunkier then we suggest dicing up another 1/4 of a cup of tomatoes and add them right before you pour in the IPA. This recipe will serve 2 to 4 people depending on your love of mussels.