Your Own
Personal Bistro
story by Charles Schlussel, photo by Jacob Herrman
I
t’s been many years since I’ve worked the line at a restaurant.
For those of you who have never experienced the frenetically
chaotic pace of working the line, let me say it is definitely a love/
hate relationship.
There is nothing like the euphoric dance of all the crew on a
line weaving in and out of each others way, sharp knives flashing,
molten lava temperature pans flying through the air and beautifully
perfect delectable plates going out all evening. Other nights bring
back memories of a seemingly endless painful purgatory of flailing
around in the weeds as we never quite reach critical mass for a
successful lift off. In a word, it’s chaotic.
That’s why one of my favorite times of the evening was going
out to the dining room for a few minutes of schmoozing with the
guests. Who wouldn’t love the accolades of praise rolling off the lips
of blissfully satiated diners? I believe as human beings we all love
to hear that we did good, that we made someone’s day a little bit
incredible.
As home cooks we all long to hear our loved ones wax poetic
about the wonderful meals we have cooked for them in the past and
how they eagerly anticipate the next invitation to come enjoy their
favorite meals. A meal at our favorite restaurant can be sublime,
but I know for myself there is nothing more satisfying than feeding
friends a meal that lights up their eyes and fills their heart as well as
their belly.
Thai Mussels (Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course)
Ingredients
2 lbs. mussels
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste (Mae ploy is my favorite)
½ cup dry white wine
2 tsp finely chopped lime leaves
1 can (13.5oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1Tbsp fish sauce (Three Crabs brand is my favorite)
1Tbsp sugar
1Tbsp fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime & 1 lemon finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Thai basil (regular basil is also fine if Thai
isn’t available)
Directions
Scrub mussels and remove any beards. Most of the available
farmed mussels will have few if any of the stringy, wiry beards still
attached and any remaining beards will come off easily with a firm
tug. If any mussels are open, tap several times and if they don’t close
discard them along with any that are cracked.
Melt butter in a large deep pan, sauté the garlic, ginger and curry
paste for about 30 seconds to a minute over medium heat until
fragrant. Add the wine and simmer for a couple minutes. Add the
lime leaves, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and lime
and lemon zest and bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Add the
mussels and cover with a tight fitting lid, stir a couple of times until
the mussels open, about 4-5 minutes.
Pour mussels with broth in a large serving bowl, discarding any
that have not opened. Sprinkle with the cilantro and basil. Serve
with lime wedges and plenty of crusty baguettes to soak up the
broth.
fsmomaha.com
“There is nothing more satisfying
than feeding friends a meal that
lights up their eyes and fills their
heart as w