white ale

we've mentioned our love of belgian-style white ale before here, and especially the adorable owl on the hitachino label. while reading grub street a few weeks ago, we saw that alton brown shares our love for this great japanese beer! so when we came across this recipe from an old issue of Food & Wine magazine using white ale, we knew it would be right up our alley. the recipe is from Sang Yoon, owner of the awesome gastro pub Father's Office - an institution with two locations in southern CA. thinking of the amazing beers on tap paired with their famous burger makes us miss the sunshine state a little! make sure to serve these mussels with a big spoon and lots of bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Curried Mussels in White Ale

serves 4

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 tbs thai red curry paste

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

1 large fresh lemongrass stalk, bulb only, smashed & chopped

2/3 cup mirin

15 oz coconut milk

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbs asian fish sauce

1/2 cup basil leaves

2 12 oz bottles white ale

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed & debearded

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

in a saucepan, heat the oil. add red curry paste, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. add mirin, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce and basil leaves and simmer for 15 minutes. strain the red curry sauce into a bowl.

in a large saucepan, bring ale to a boil. add mussels, cover and cook over night heat, about 5 minutes. discard any mussels that do not open. divide mussels between four bowls. add the red curry sauce to the ale and boil about 1 minutes. pour sauce over mussels and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. enjoy!

sustainable

very sad to share the news of yet another publication folding. these images, recipes and an article on sustainable eating were to be in the next issue of Healing Lifestyles & Spas but unfortunately the magazine is no longer being published. it was great to work with such wonderful people promoting such a healthy lifestyle and we're sad to see them go. thanks for everything melissa! mussels are a great sustainable choice when it comes to seafood because their aquaculture benefits surrounding marine habitat and improves water quality as they filter and feed on excess plankton.

Steamed Mussels

2 tbs olive oil

1 bulb fennel, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

1 bunch kale, trimmed & chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs. blue, black or green mussels, scrubbed & debearded

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

3 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

1 tbs red chili flakes

1 lemon

salt & pepper

in a large saucepan, heat olive oil. add fennel, onion and carrot and cook 5 minutes until slightly softened. add kale and garlic and saute 3 minutes until soft. add cleaned mussels, wine and stock and stir to combine. cover and steam 8 minutes, until mussels are open, stirring occasionally. discard any mussels that do not open. remove from heat and stir in butter, chili flakes, juice of half the lemon and salt & pepper to taste. to serve, ladle mussels into each bowl with liquid. garnish with lemon wedges and serve with crusty bread to soak up the tasty broth!