Clams, Mussels, Caramelized Cauliflower, Mushroom Broth

Well, I wish I could tell you these were happier times for me.  I'm going through some personal issues that have left me feeling very vulnerable and, well, just shitty.  I know this is not the forum for this, so I won't write about the details here - I've been pretty good about keeping my personal life off this site, despite my occasional need to heal myself by writing.  If you are interested in the details, send me a note.  I'm an open book.

In honor of my gloom, I'll post a dish that I made recently that would cheer anyone up on a cold night.  I love aromatic, infused and simple broths that come with steamed mussels.  I remember my first garlic, white wine and parsley broth that came with a pot of mussels and a side of frites in France.  I thought I'd make a simple dish on a cold winter night that creatively incorporated the principles of the French classic.  I had a mushroom stock on hand in my fridge.  Actually, it wasn't stock but just the strained juices from rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms.  I added some garlic and rosemary to the broth and let it simmer briefly until about to boil.  I added a touch of white wine and then a handful of clams and covered to steam.  Finally, after a few minutes (depending on the size of the clams), I added the mussels, a nugget of butter and some chopped parsley for a final minute or so of steaming. 

I had been looking for a starchy side dish to take the place of fries, so I caramelized some cauliflower before making the mussels and clams.  I loved the addition of cauliflower to this dish - it was a pleasure to dunk into the rich mushroom juices.

Anyhow, maybe some frequent posting on this blog will be a form of healing for me.   Look forward to more frequent postings over the next few weeks (this week might be light due to the holidays, however).

Comments

[Ayun]

This looks melonfarming awesome and if i wasn't all tanked up on some cheap 5th ave mexican grub, I'd f. up a bowl of it RIGHT NOW!!!

I hope things look brighter soon. Keep the fire in the belly, brother!

[joe]

thanks ayun. and thanks to all of the great people who have emailed and checked in with me. really great stuff. i am hanging in there. send me a note and say hi - i'll definitely appreciate it.

[ChefClub]

Wow those clams loook sooo good! And your blog is beautiful! You should enter the recipe contest at my new site - www.chefclub.net - you're obviously over qualified!

Keep up the good blogging and I'll keep eating it up!

[FinestChef]

Great looking shellfish recipe. I bet it is at least as tasty as it looks.