Pure Food by Christine Cushing is a book that offers a wide variety of dishes that focus on freshness and flavor. The recipes are straightforward and emphasize using seasonal ingredients in a way that suits them best. The layout is clean and the photos are bright and inviting. The book begins with a shopping, organizing, and produce companion that provides suggestions for a well-stocked pantry as well as tips on how to use ingredients that you may not be as familiar with. The recipes are divided into seven chapters: Salads, Dips & Starters, Fish & Seafood, Poultry, Meat, Grains & Starches, Veggies & Sides, and finally Fruit & Desserts.  Prep time and cooking time are listed with each recipe and are generally under an hour with some being much less so. Seasonal availability of ingredients is also given with each recipe, which is a nice touch.

As Christine describes at the beginning of the book, there are five very important factors that are woven throughout the book:

Flavour, Flavour, Flavour

Quality of Ingredients

In Season

Ease of Preparation

Health

Those, combined with the implied factor of fun (as all cooking should be fun), create a nice balance of recipes and tastes. The Strawberry Mango Mojito Salad looked too delicious for me to pass up, and it was the first thing I made. I added some kiwis because I had them on hand and opted to rim the class with sugar, but otherwise stuck to the recipe.

Strawberry Mango Mojito Salad (from Pure Food by Christine Cushing)

1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 medium Atulfo mango, peeled and diced (Atulfo is less stringy than other varieties)
¼ cup granulated sugar (60mL)
½ bunch fresh mint leaves, washed and chopped finely
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 oz white rum (50mL) or to taste

Combine the strawberries and mango in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar, mint leaves, lime juice, zest and rum.

Let stand for about 30 minutes to develop its flavour.

For maximum impact, serve in a martini or rock glass with fresh mint sprigs and a lime slice on the rim of the glass.

March’s issue of Food & Wine magazine is dubbed the Special Kitchen Issue and reviews a variety of small appliances, giving the top three in each category.  The appliances reviewed are blenders, convection toaster ovens, deep fryers, food processors, hand mixers, juicers, and panini presses. I feel like I’m missing out here because I only have two of these (the blender and food processor), but at least if I decide to add these gadgets to my kitchen at some point in the future, I’ll know which ones are best.

One thing I do have in my kitchen though that I absolutely love is my KitchenAid, which is perfect for making all of the amazing desserts in this month’s issue.  There’s an entire section entitled “Big Sugar’s Blockbuster Desserts,” which features recipes from the Big Sugar Bakeshop, which is frequented by an ever increasing number of celebrities because of its proximity to major TV network studios. I can’t wait to try the Pecan-Praline Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce or the Apple Pie Bars, and I couldn’t wait at all to try the Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies, I made those immediately! With 24 ounces of chocolate, these are a seriously good cookie.

If I haven’t tempted you with desserts, there are also some delicious-sounding savory dishes such as Glazed Asian Baby Back Ribs, Crunchy Asian Pea Salad with Honeyed Bacon, and Pan-Seared Meyer Lemon Gnocchi.  Tempted yet?  I know I am.

Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies (Food & Wine, March 2008)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks
• 12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the granulated and light brown sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until incorporated. At low speed, beat in the bittersweet- and white-chocolate chunks until they are evenly distributed.

Scoop eight 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto each of the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 3 inches between them. Flatten the mounds into 2-inch rounds. Bake on the lower and middle racks of the oven for 20 minutes, until the cookies rise and then flatten slightly; switch the cookie sheets halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then slide the parchment paper onto racks and let the cookies cool completely. Line the cookie sheets with fresh parchment and repeat to make the remaining cookies.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

If you’ve ever wanted to try some new flavours but have been unsure about how to go about it, might I suggest some Indian food? For some people, Indian cuisine conjures up images of long hours in front of the stove and a hot tandoor oven, but that’s not the case if you’ve got Madhur Jaffrey helping you out. In her book, Quick and Easy Indian Cooking, Jaffrey shows us that it’s possible to recreate complex Indian flavours in a fraction of the time and in your own home.

The majority of the dishes in this book can be made in under 30 minutes, proving that it doesn’t take forever to make a tasty and satisfying meal.  The book itself is vibrant and colourful, with beautiful photos and design. It’s the type of book that makes you want to cook from it, as well as read it curled up on the couch. Jaffrey introduces each recipe with a little blurb about when the dish is typically served or what to pair it with or an insight on the method used to cook it. She’s the type of cookbook author that you feel is in the kitchen with you and that’s the best kind.

The book is divided into 8 categories which range from Soups and Appetizers to Drinks and Desserts. Recipes include classic dishes like Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Korma and Mango Lassi, but also include something a little different like Garlicky Mushroom Masala Omelet, Chick Peas Cooked in Tea and Banana Halva. The recipes for fresh chutneys look particularly nice and infinitely versatile.

Although the recipes sound amazing, there are a couple things to note before buying this book. The first is that many of the recipes call for the use of a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker makes it possible to create meals in under 30 minutes although it is not necessary to have one as stove top directions are also given for all of the recipes. Making these dishes on the stove top will obviously take longer, but most of that time is not hands on. The second thing to note is that some of the ingredient lists may seem long. Once you have a well stocked pantry however (especially with the appropriate spices), the recipes don’t actually take any longer to make, despite the number of ingredients. I think you’ll also find that the added ingredients are what make the dishes distinctly Indian and full of flavour.

Madhur Jaffrey makes Indian cuisine accessible to all in this lovely book that I’m eager to try more from. This recipe that I’ve given here is for her Banana Halva and I wanted to try it as soon as I read that this was a recipe for banana lovers. I served it simply with a little powdered sugar, although whipped cream, as Jaffrey suggests, would certainly be wonderful.

Banana Halva
(from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey)

4 very ripe bananas
1 T vegetable oil or ghee
2 T sugar
1 T chopped, unsalted, peeled pistachios
½ T chopped walnuts
¼ cup lightly whipped heavy cream or clotted cream

Peel the bananas and mash them.

Put the oil or ghee in a nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the mashed bananas. Stir and fry for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and stir and fry for another 10 minutes or until the bananas have browned and turned to a kind of soft toffee. Turn the heat to low. Add the sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds or until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pistachios and walnuts and mix in. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap until serving time. Serve with whipped or clotted cream.

The first thing I noticed as I flipped through The New Regional Italian Cuisine Cookbook by Reinhardt Hess, Cornelia Schinharl and Sabine Salzer was the abundance of beautiful pictures. There is a photo of every single recipe, as well as scenic shots of Italy and close-ups of ingredients. Photos are a major plus in any cookbook and this one certainly goes above and beyond the call of duty and as a result allows you to get a feel for not only the finished dishes but also where they come from.

Unlike basic, run of the mill Italian cookbooks that lump all of Italy into one category of cooking that mainly includes pasta and pizza, Regional Italian Cuisine features recipes from eight culinary regions, using ingredients and techniques that are specific to each one. Every region is introduced with an explanation of why certain foods are particular to it (which varies depending on factors such as landscape, climate, inhabitants and surrounding borders) and what we are likely to find there. The regions are then divided by recipes for Appetizers, First Courses, Main Courses, Side Dishes and Dessert and are labeled in both Italian and English.

What is especially helpful is that the book is indexed not only by region, but also by course, so that even though appetizers are spread throughout the book, a quick look at the index will reveal all of them together.

Another nice feature in this book are the pages devoted strictly to a particular ingredient which are scattered throughout the book and feature wine, herbs, lesser known vegetables, fruit and meat. Along with the fantastic photos, these pages help to acquaint you with the individual regions and their specialties.

The only gripe I have about this cookbook (and it’s a minor one) is that some of the ingredients are not easy to source, such as bottarga, boar, rabbit or chanterelles. However, I’m glad they didn’t try to substitute them with other ingredients that would have affected the integrity of the recipes. These ingredients add to the authenticity of the dishes and make me want to find them so that I can make the recipes properly (and it is possible to find these ingredients, you just might have to look a little harder, the internet makes everything possible now).

So far I’ve made Insalata al Pecorino (Salad with Pecorino Cheese), Ossobuco d’Agnello (Braised Lamb Shanks) and Crostatina di Mele (Apple Puff Pastry Cake) and I’m looking forward to trying other dishes like Chickpea Soup with Prawns, Ricotta ‘Meatballs,’ Stuffed Gnocchi with Chanterelle Ragu and Nougat Honey Semi-Iced Cream. I think The New Regional Italian Cuisine Cookbook is one that I will turn to again and again for delicious recipes.

Insalata al Pecorino (Salad with Pecorino Cheese- Tuscany)

Ingredients for 4:

2 eggs
7 oz mixed salad greens, (preferably several varieties such as Romaine, arugula, radiccio and chicory or Belgian endive)
3.5 oz aged pecorino cheese
2 T raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
8 anchovies (preserved in oil)
2 T white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 T olive oil

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Per Portion: about 335 calories

Cook eggs in simmering water for about 10 minutes and rinse them with ice cold water. Rinse, trim, and pat dry the salad greens; tear them into bite-sized pieces.

Cut the rind off the cheese and shave it with a vegetable peeler. Soak the raisins in hot water. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until they are golden brown. Mince the anchovies.

Whisk the vinegar and olive oil to a creamy consistency; season with salt and pepper (taste before salting, as anchovies and pecorino are already salty). Peel the eggs and cut in wedges. Drain the raisins.

Toss the salad greens, cheese, raisins, anchovies, and pine nuts with the dressing; if necessary season with salt and pepper. Garnish the salad with the eggs and serve.

The first time I flipped through the March issue of Bon Appetit there was a definite trend in the type of recipes that I gravitated towards.  They were all gooey.  This is actually a feature of this month’s issue entitled Warm, Sticky, Gooey!, but I seem to have found other recipes in the magazine that aren’t in that feature but that fit the bill too.  The gooey funfest begins on the cover with a gorgeous photo of a Grilled Corned Beef Sandwich on Rye that’s oozing with fontina cheese and is carried throughout the magazine.  Gooey cheese reappears in Quesadillas with Greens and Goat Cheese as well as in Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches.  If savoury goo doesn’t get your mouth watering, how about sweet goo like the Caramel-Pecan Upside-down Banana Cake that I made?  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I happen to prefer pecans so it was an easy switch.  Other sweet gooey recipes include Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding, and Brandied Apricot Beignets with Chocolate Sauce to name a couple.  And finally, Blogger/author Molly Wizenberg (of Orangette) tells of her trouble with yeast but ultimately provides us with yet another version of gooeyness - a recipe for Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze.

If you’re interested in more than just goo, Bon Appetit also has a feature on potatoes with a few different ways to cook up Russets that will leave you hungry for more.

Prep School this month has tips on peeling eggs, skinning fish and making custard, as well as an anatomy lesson on saucepans.

March means Easter is coming and instead of drowning us in chocolate, Bon Appetit has provided a menu for an old-fashioned Southern Easter, complete with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Ham, Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Honey and a dessert of Cornmeal Cake with Buttermilk Ice Cream and Rhubarb Compote.

Of course, this month’s issue has a special place in my heart because the interview on the last page is with none other than basketball great, (and now restaurateur) Michael Jordan.  Sigh, remember the Bulls in the 90’s?

Caramel-Walnut Upside Down Banana Cake
(Bon Appetit, March 2008)

Topping
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
3/4 cup walnut halves or pieces (I used pecans)

Cake
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 large)
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (I used homemade raspberry ice cream)

For topping:
Spray 8-inch round cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Bring butter, sugar, and corn syrup to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts. Boil syrup 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Spread topping in prepared pan. Let topping cool completely.

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed bananas, sour cream, rum, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 2 additions just until combined. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Cut around cake. Place platter over pan. Holding pan and platter together, turn over. Let stand 5 minutes, then gently lift off pan. Cool at least 15 minutes for topping to set. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

February’s Bon Appetit is dubbed The Green Issue and contains tips on how to eat organic, sustainable food that is good for the earth and good for you too, complete with recipes for everything from meat to veggies and dessert.

Bon Appetit has been sporting a new look lately and this issue also introduces some new columns, one of which is written by blogger Molly Wizenberg of Orangette and is called Cooking Life.  In this month’s issue, Molly explains why she’s not a vegetarian and provides a recipe for delicious looking Lamb Sausage Patties.  If you’re a fan of Molly’s blog, you’ll love her column and if you’re not acquainted with Orangette, you’ll want to be.

Another new feature in Bon Appetit is Prep School, which endeavours to be a guide full of kitchen tips and tricks to help you succeed.  Among the goodies you’ll find this month are how to butterfly a chicken, cut up butternut squash and zest with the best of them.  Prep School has a comic book feels to it, with illustrations to show you the way.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and would like to incorporate some whole grains into your baking, then look no further, Bon Appetit has a selection of recipes which include cupcakes, pie, bread and cookies.  Whole Wheat S’more Cookies anyone?

Since it’s the Green Issue, I decided to try out a few veggie recipes and went with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios, as well as Creamy Rice with Parsnip Puree and Root Vegetables.  Brussels sprouts have come a long way from being hated by children everywhere to a dish worthy of being served at your next dinner party.  Brussels sprouts are downright tasty so long as they’re prepared properly and you can count on Bon Appetit to show you how to do it right.  As for the Creamy Rice, you’d never guess that there’s no actual cream or butter in the recipe.  The creaminess comes from the parsnip puree and makes for a nice and healthy side dish.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios
Bon Appetit, February 2008

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
12 large brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded
3/4 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir 20 seconds. Add Brussels sprout leaves and pistachios, and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Servers 4-6.

It always amazes me that anyone should have a difficult time buying me a present.  Then again, it also amazes me that I’m not showered with presents on a daily basis.  I’m sure there are enough cookbooks out there that I could get a new one every day and never have any repeats.  Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that other people don’t realize this.  How else can you explain the fact that What’s Cooking: Baking by Emma Patmore is the only cookbook I received for Christmas?  Unbelievable, but true.

I suppose What’s Cooking should consider itself lucky to have been my one and only Christmas cookbook as it has meant I’ve spent a copious amount of time getting to know it.  Allow me to tell you a little about the book that claims to be a step-by-step collection of baked dishes.  It certainly is an eclectic mix of recipes.  Chapters are divided into Puddings & Pastries, Breads & Side Dishes, Vegetarian Baking, and Cakes and Cookies.  As an added bonus, every single recipe has a picture of the final product, as well as step-by-step photos.  The chapter on Vegetarian Baking somewhat baffles me, as I think it should perhaps be renamed Vegan Baking.  Regardless, it has both sweet and savoury baking and recipes call for predominantly whole wheat flour as opposed to all purpose.  I have yet to attempt any recipes from that chapter.  I have, however, tried out the Chocolate Bread, Cheese and Onion Pies and Oat and Raisin Cookies.

The Chocolate Bread gave off a wonderful aroma while baking, but had a very subtle chocolate flavour and only a faint hint of sweetness.  I baked it with the intent of making Chocolate French Toast and it was certainly good as such.  It would also work for PB & J or PB & Banana sandwiches.

The Cheese and Onion Pies were a surprise hit for me.  After making them I decided I wanted to try a little nibble and that little nibble turned into me devouring a whole pie…  This book seems to have an abundance of onion recipes, including Celery and Onion Pies, Mini Cheese and Onion Tarts and Red Onion Tart Tatin, to name a few.

My favourite recipe of the three that I tried though, were the Oat and Raisin cookies.  They were soft and chewy, homey and just plain good!

Final verdict? This book contains an interesting mixture of sweet and savoury baked goods.  Some of the recipes seem like an odd choice, but hey, I’m a little weird myself, so I guess that’s alright.  I’m actually curious to try out some of the vegan recipes as those are something that I’m not at all familiar with, but it’s going to be awfully hard for me not to throw in a handful of bacon.  The photos of every recipe are certainly a bonus and the Oat and Raisin cookies are going to become a regular in my kitchen.

Oat and Raisin Cookies
(Adapted slightly from What’s Cooking: Baking by Emma Patmore)

4 T butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
½ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup plump raisins
2 T sunflower seeds

Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the beaten egg gradually and beat until well combined.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the creamed mixture.  Mix well

Add the oats, raisins, sunflower seeds and mix together thoroughly.

Place spoonfuls of the mixture well apart on the prepared cookie sheets and flatten them slightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Let the cookies coo slightly on the cookie sheets.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Makes 16-18 cookies.

My past experiences with baking 100% whole wheat bread have generally yielded loaves that are good for little more than doorstops - dense and heavy.  That’s why I was eager to read bread guru Peter Reinhart’s new book Whole Grain Breads.  Reinhart is also the author of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice which is a go-to book for countless home bread bakers.  His latest book begins by recounting how he came to develop the idea and recipes for the book and proceeds to give us an explanation of the science behind making bread with whole wheat.  This is followed by the recipes he developed, using entirely new techniques and perfected with the help of 350 testers.  The result is a wealth of whole grain bread recipes that range from sandwich bread to brioche to naan.

Reinhart suggests beginning with the sandwich loaf to get a feel for a technique that is unlike any you’ve probably used before and to try a recipe a couple times before giving up on it entirely.  This is sound advice as the recipes are quite lengthy.  You shouldn’t be intimidated by the length though as the recipes are very clear and come complete with photographs to guide you.  The other reason for the length is that these recipes are not quick.  Each one is at least a two day affair although much of that time is not hands on. 

The secret to an excellent whole wheat loaf lies in the process of delayed fermentation which Reinhart does a wonderful job of explaining in highly accessible language.  I’ve already made the sandwich loaf twice and it has been my most successful whole wheat bread to date.  Granted, pretty much anything would have been an improvement over my previous attempts, but this bread goes beyond being simply edible to actually being enjoyable!  And miracle of miracles, it rose too!  If you or someone you know is an avid bread baker, this book is a must have.  I’m particularly looking forward to trying out the cinnamon buns…

The cover boasts a refreshing plate of cod with mushrooms, garlic and vermouth, accompanied by sides of rice and broccoli, a pleasant change from the turkey and sweet laden covers of nearly every other magazine that is currently on the stands.  So what else can you expect to find in this issue of Fine Cooking?

- Seven more quick and delicious weeknight fish recipes.  Standouts include Salmon Seared on Bacon with Balsamic Vinegar, Honey and Rosemary, as well as Seared Scallops with Golden Shallot & Grapefruit Sauce.
- Kitchen tips like using a shoe horn to release muffins from their tray and how to infuse your own oils.
- A review of nine different 12-inch skillets to find which one of these essentials was best.
- An Indian inspired menu from appetizer to dessert, filled with warm, comforting spices and exotic flavours.  I’m looking forward to trying the Indian-Spiced Chicken with Lime and Cilantro and ending a meal with a Mango Lassi Parfait.
- An infinite number of ways to prepare bread pudding.  Personally I don’t see why you’d want to prepare it at all, but to each her own.  However, if all bread puddings were made with croissants, brioche or challah bread and included coffee or rum custard bases and add-ins like crystallized ginger or bittersweet chocolate, I might be persuaded to change my mind.

If that’s not enough to convince you, there’s also a guide to gumbo, a gnocchi how-to, a roast pork recipe complete with innovative ways to use up the leftovers and some fun with fennel.

Although this sounds like it has the makings of a wonderful cookbook, it fell a little bit short. The recipes are very good and perhaps that’s all that should matter considering that it’s a cookbook, but since we’ve become spoiled with glossy, picture-filled cookbooks, recipes alone don’t seem to cut it anymore. For those of you that need pictures in your cookbooks, this one is not for you as there are none. A lack of pictures is not a big deal for me, but the overall layout of the cookbook was not my favourite. I found that nothing really stood out. While photos are not necessary, I would have liked to have seen a different font, (maybe I’m being silly but I don’t care for Times New Roman) or colour (it’s all black and white), or possibly some illustrations to break things up a little. Overall though, don’t let my pickiness about the visual aspects of the book put you off, the recipes are delicious and that’s the important part. 

There are some excellent flavour combinations. I especially like that each recipe comes with a few variations, providing plenty of inspiration for me to use ideas from the book to create new recipes. I’ve tried both the original recipes from the book and the suggested alterations, including: Cranberry, Pecan & Blue Cheese Pinwheels, Garlic Lover’s Steamed Mussels, Mojo Grilled Seabass and Twice Baked Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Honey Butter. My Dad even picked up the book and made one of the shrimp dishes while I was away. All of the recipes have been very well received and the mussels have already been made twice, which is why I’ve chosen to share them. Miller’s advice to serve these mussels with plenty of crusty bread should definitely be adhered to.

Garlic Lover’s Steamed Mussels

Steamed mussels make an easy and impressive starter for a dinner party. You can tailor the flavours to fit perfectly with any dinner theme. Once you try a couple of my variations, I’m sure you’ll come up with ideas of your own! Be sure to serve plenty of warm crusty bread alongside, to sop up the flavourful juices.

2 T unsalted butter
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, chopped, white and light green parts only
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup diced celery
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1¼ cups dry white wine
3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 T roasted garlic
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

In a large pot melt the butter in oil over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic and celery. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook until they open, about 7 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the mussels to a large serving with a slotted spoon, discarding any that did not open. Whisk the roasted garlic into the wine mixture remaining in the pot and pour over the mussels. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Serves 6.