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Stuffed Mussels
Background info: Centuries before moules frites became a universal obsession, stuffed mussels, then known as midye dolma, were a beloved delicacy of the ruling class during the height of the Ottoman Empire. Despite outside influences, Turkish cuisine’s roots lie with regional Indigenous cultures, such as the Armenians, who are thought to have consumed stuffed mussels drizzled with kuyruk yag, or sheep’s tail fat.
Many Indigenous peoples considered nutrient-dense foods, like mussels, to be critical during childbearing years and beyond. As recent studies have shown us, there is great wisdom in this: Fresh, wild-caught mussels provide a rich source of selenium, which is essential for fighting oxidative stress, a known contributor to low egg and sperm quality.
—Price-Pottenger
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For some strange reason, my kids love mussels. Plain steamed mussels are fine, but these are awesome. This is based on an Italian antipasto recipe I saw in a magazine – but it’s been fairly significantly modified, and I’ve added a Spanish twist. Let’s just say these are good enough to serve at a fancy dinner party, either as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre. Or you can just make them and sit and eat them all up, no party required.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 2 pounds mussels (about 50), cleaned
Topping
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely grated Romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tomatoes
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the mussels in a large pot. Cover, set over high heat, and cook, shaking the pot, until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any unopened shells.
- Remove the top shell and place the mussels in the half shell on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- To make the topping: In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Romano, parsley, melted butter, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Halve the tomatoes and use your fingers to scoop out and discard the seeds. Grate the cut sides of the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl. Discard the remaining skins.
- Spoon a dollop of the breadcrumb mixture onto each mussel. Broil for 3 minutes, or until golden. Spoon a little of the tomato pulp over the mussels and serve with lemon wedges, if you wish.
Reprinted by permission of Maria Rodale from Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious (Rodale Inc., 2016). Visit mariarodale.com.
Photograph by Con Poulos.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Spring 2023 | Volume 47, Number 1
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