Mussels Provençal

Last Saturday, May 15, 2010, Carolyn, Julia and I had lunch at El Obrero, a well known and well regarded “bogedone” in the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires.  The restaurant is well off the beaten path, in a somewhat seedy neighborhood containing many industrial buildings, stray dogs and little street life.  The sidewalks in this area are unusual, abruptly changing elevation that presumably is meant to protect the buildings against flooding from the nearby river (see photo below).  Note that there are no guard rails at the top of the elevated sidewalks.  The restaurant, which dates back to 1954, is popular and crowded. The food and service were excellent.  Here, Carolyn and I introduced Julia to mejillones a la provençal (mussels provencal).  Following is my interpretation, which I developed after a trip to France in 2000.  Extremely simple, but totally satisfying.  -jb

2 lbs. mussels, cleaned and debearded
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup white wine
¼ teaspoon celery seed
salt and black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium/large tomato, diced

In a Dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 10 minutes over a medium heat.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.  The heat to boiling and add the mussels, cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook about 8 minutes or until all the mussels have opened.  Discard any mussels that remain closed.  Serve with bread and white wine.

first prepared June 29, 2000

At El Obrero, located at Augustin R. Caffarena 64

Lemon Marmalade

 

TJ Max has a section with various condiments, jams, etc.  Although I am suspicious of how long they have been there, I couldn’t pass up a jar labeled Sicilian Lemon.  It was love at first bite, but once the jar was empty I couldn’t find a replacement.  I decided to make my own and was rewarded with success on my first try.  The marmalade is wonderfully tart.  Best, of course, on fresh croissants (because they are packed with butter).

Don’t use this recipe to make marmalade from non-acidic fruits!

5 lemons
5 cups water
4 cups sugar

6 small Mason jars with rings and lids
Optional (but extremely helpful):  Funnel sized for processing marmalade
Tongs

Day 1:  Fill a bowl with 5 cups of water.  Slice four (4) of the lemons into paper thin slices, removing seeds as you go.   Chop slices so you don't have long pieces.  Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Day 2:  Place the contents of the bowl into a pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to just below the boiling point.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Pour back into the bowl and allow to cool.  Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Day 3:  Place the contents of the bowl into a pot.  Bring to a low boil and add 4 cups of sugar.  Continue to boil for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, fill another deep pot with water, add the glass Mason jars, and bring to a slow boil.  Wash the lids and rings in hot, soapy water.  Rinse well and place on a clean paper towel.  Five minutes before removing from heat, add the juice of one lemon and stir. Next, fill each jar with marmalade to within 1/4” of the top of the jar; no more/no less.  Using a clean, wet paper towel, clean off any marmalade from the top edge of the jars.  Apply the lids and screw on the rings.  Tight, but not super tight.  Using tongs, place jars into the pot of boiling water and boil (“process”) for 10 full minutes.  Carefully remove from heat and drain most of the water into the sink.  Using a towel, remove the jars and place on a towel.  Allow to cool for 12-24 hours.  (After 24 hours, push on the lids.  They should not pop up and down.  If they do, discard.)  The jars will keep for up to one year without refrigeration.

Note 1:  The second time I made the marmalade I used lemons that had been sitting on the table for a couple of weeks and had softened.  The marmalade set up much better than the first time, when I used just bought firm lemons.

Note 2:  The recipe made more than 6 jars of marmalade.  Place the extra in a jar or bowl, covered, and refrigerate right away.

Note 3:  I don’t know why, but no pectin is needed for this recipe.  At least I didn’t use any and it turned out great.

Video below emphasizes that the lemons must be sliced very thin:

Yield:  6 jars