SERVES 4
- 200g unsalted butter
- 1 head of celery, cut into 2 cm thick chunks, reserve leaves for garnish
- 2 white onions, cut into 2cm slices
- 5 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 60g tinned laverbread
- 100ml double cream
- Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 bunch of dill fronds, very finely chopped, thicker stalk parts left whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 2kg mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 335ml bottle Belgian-style wheat beer
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- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the celery and onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Don’t allow them to colour.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook gently for a further 5 minutes or so until the garlic starts to smell sweeter, still being careful not colour.
- While the onions are cooking, mix together the laverbread, cream, lemon juice and zest, and half of the chopped dill fronds. Tie the dill stalks with the bay leaves into a bouquet garni.
- When the onions are soft, add the mussels and bouquet garni to the pan and cook for a minute, then turn up the heat to high and add the vegetable stock, followed by the beer. Cover and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, then cook for a further couple of minutes with the lid off until the mussels are just starting to open.
- Add the cream mixture and allow to warm through for a moment.
- Pour into warmed serving bowls, sprinkle with the reserved celery leaves and extra dill, if desired, and serve with crusty bread.
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The Beer Kitchen by Melissa Cole, Published by Hardie Grant