Yesterday we were pondering what we might like to eat over the weekend, and Jim requested steamed mussels for this evening, one of his favorite dishes. I love them too, not just because they’re good and constitute an absolutely minimalist meal, but because they’re so easy to prepare. We’ve enjoyed (and I’ve made) some wonderful steamed mussels with a spicy marinara sauce (oh so good over linguine), but tonight I’m making them in a bit of white wine.

This is about as simple as it gets, and even simpler if you can find decent frozen mussels. I’ve used fresh mussels plenty of times, and if you’ve ever scrubbed and de-bearded fresh mussels then you know that little task removes this from the realm of quick and easy. A few years ago my fish guy started carrying very good quality frozen mussels, which you cook frozen right out of the bag, and I no longer have to summon the ambition to clean the little critters. These are clean-shaven, free of grit, and ready to go.

Ingredients:

• One large onion, chopped
• 3 medium cloves garlic (or more or less, to taste)
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil1 to 1.5 cups white wine (don’t buy anything fancy, but don’t use crap either - it should be good enough to drink)
• Handful of chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Two 2-lb. bags of frozen mussels (do not thaw before cooking)

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other pot large enough to hold all the mussels.
2. When oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
3. Add the wine and cook for a few moments until the alcohol smell dissipates; add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Raise the heat a bit, and when the contents are at a lively simmer, add the mussels and cover the pot.
5. Cook for five minutes or so, or until the mussels are open. Don’t cook them beyond this point or the mussels will toughen.

Serve large portions in shallow bowls accompanied by a hearty, crusty bread for sopping up the juice.

See what a simple supper this is?  This serves the two of us as a meal, but it would easily serve four if you were serving it as an appetizer. We are going to precede this with a simple antipasto of dry salami, a good hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, some marinated artichoke hearts, some olives, and perhaps a few roasted peppers. We prefer beer  with this, but a chilled wine will do nicely — perhaps some of the wine you used to steam the mussels, in fact.