maven&meddler

The grocery shopping expedition yielded some excellent, fresh okra and some wonderful, fresh New Zealand ‘green lipped’ mussels - which we like in a seafood broth with sausage and some vegetables. It’s a great thing to dunk artisan bread into.

Besides being fast, easy and healthy, it’s also fairly light on the budget and waistline. The mussels were $5.99 a pound and with the vegetables and sausage (another couple bucks for fresh, in-house made Marquez lamb sausage ) it’s not too expensive considering we fed three adults. Nobody went hungry.

It’s a simple matter of prepping the vegetables and letting them steam in a wine based broth amped up with the addition of a canned of diced tomatoes, and a  couple tablespoons of ‘Better Than Boullion’ fish, clam or lobster base. Bottled clam juice would also work.

The veggies I used: fresh okra, chopped fresh tomatoes, english peas in the pod, a couple sliced yellow crookneck squash, onions and garlic. This isn’t carved in stone. Use what you have and what you like. If you prefer clams, or they’re on special use those. Throw some shrimp in. Chunks of ham are good, too.

This is al fresco … on the fly.

Saute the sausage and onion first. Add the vegetables and steam all for a few minutes, lid on, before adding the mussels. Add some parsley, Italian or French herbs, and a nice, hot chili pepper.

When the vegetables and sausage seem nearly done and happy, add the mussels and clamp on the lid for another few minutes - or until all the mussels have opened up. Those that won’t open should be discarded.

Adjust seasonings, serve with good crusty bread and wine.

Okay, now I’ll get off the okra kick and give it a rest.