Tour de France - Stage 16: Gruissan to Nîmes
It’s been 10 stages since I last made a tour-inspired meal. It wasn’t supposed to be this long. I had wanted to make a specialty dessert last week for another stage, but work and life got in the way of that plan. Today, I prepared a special dish from the Occitane region of France, more specifically, along the Mediterranean coast. The closest the riders got to Sète, the origin of this dish, was in Montagnac, about 19 miles west of the coastal town of Sète. That was close enough for me! I’ve actually made this dish once before for my wife’s friend’s family. It was such a hit, even though it was a bit of a bother, I had to do it again.
What makes this meal difficult? Well, you have to clean, soak, then pry open mussels, loosening the meat inside, being careful to not fully separate the shell. Then, you still have to stuff them, and tie them up to hold the stuffing inside, before you can even cook them. So, it takes a bit of skill and moreseo time, but the payoff is mind-blowing. I’m not a big fan of mussels, but I like meatballs and meatloaf, and that is what these end up tasting like due to the stuffing. I cooked them in a freshly made tomato sauce with some vermouth and paired it with aioli, last year’s winning Paris Baguette de Tradition from Au Levain des Pyrénées, and a chilled glass of rosé, a perfect way to end Bastille Day this past Sunday.
Stuffed Mussels
Moules Farcies à la Sétoise, French Regional Food, Joël Robuchon & Loïc Bienassis
~30 mussels, scrubbed clean and debearded
6 oz each of ground pork and veal
Fresh bay leaf, thyme, and parsley
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten + 1 egg yolk for aioli
2.25 lbs ripe tomatoes
1 cup dry vermouth
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Butcher string
Prepare the mussels. After cleaning the mussels, place them in a large bowl of cold, salted water and soak them for about an hour in the fridge, draining and replacing the salted water halfway through. Then drain, rinse and drain once more when ready to stuff. Do not soak the mussels longer than 1 hour.
While the mussels soak, prepare the stuffing by combining the meat, breadcrumbs, 2 beaten eggs, some salt and pepper, and about a tablespoon of minced fresh parsley leaves. Mix thoroughly, adding more breadcrumbs if necessary to bind. Place in the refrigerator.
Prepare the sauce. Bring a pot of water to a boil, slice a small x into the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water. Cook until the skins begin to crack and peel away from the flesh, about a minute or so. Discard the skin, and seed and chop the tomatoes.
Place the chopped tomatoes into a pot with 2 tbsp olive oil, set over medium heat. Tie up a bay leaf along with a couple sprigs of thyme and parsley and bring to a boil. Season with a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Then turn off the heat and discard the bundle of herbs.
While the sauce cooks down, carefully use a paring knife to pry open the mussels. It will take 2 or 3 attempts to get the hang of this. Lightly squeeze the narrow end of the mussel (keeping your fingers tucked in) while you slide the tip of the knife into/along the long edge of the mussel shell. Then push the knife all the way through, slicing downward. Flip the knife and run up toward the narrow end. Carefully open the shell and cut away the tendons. Your mussels should smell fresh, like the ocean. If any smell funky, discard them.
Once all of the mussels are pried open, grab a couple teaspoons of the prepared meat stuffing and fill in the mussel shell. Repeat until all have been filled. The mussels should have a uniform ½ inch layer of stuffing when closed.
Using butcher string, tie the mussels closed. Once all mussels have been prepared, turn the burner on again under the pot, add in the vermouth and bring to a simmer. Then add in all of the mussels. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
While the mussels cook, prepare the aioli by whisking together the minced garlic, mustard, egg yolk, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Then, continue whisking while you slowly add in the olive oil. Continue whisking until thick and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Once the mussels have cooked for 30 minutes, add a tablespoon of the aioli and stir (or gently whisk) into the sauce until incorporated. Serve immediately; goes great with crusty french bread and french fries!
______________________________ Copyright 2024, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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