Friday Night Meal for Two

Two fantastic ingredients are FINALLY back in season here in the southeast of England...

Flat Leaf Parsley and...

Beautiful Mussels from Norfolk!

A perfect combination for a romantic meal for two and an excellent start to the weekend! David and I have been so busy the last few weeks with friends and the wedding and recovering from the holidays that we haven't really had much time to hibernate and just hide away from the world. We've both agreed that this weekend will be the weekend for that...come straight home after work on Friday and enjoy our own company for two whole days!!! 

I am so happy that I bought these mussels from the fishmonger at the market, instead of at the grocery store.  They weren't very beautiful on first sight...being FRESH FROM THE SEA Friday morning...but once the barnacles and beards and sand were scrubbed off...they were looking fabulous!

David's fondness for mussels is relatively new so he's mostly happy with a simple tomato based broth (besides he's not a wine lover...so white wine broth is a bit much for him...wimp).  I,  on the other hand am a mussel pro...I don't even use a fork....just dive right in with my fingers and use the shell as an aid and just work my way through...

To keep us both happy I steamed the mussels in a mixture of white wine and a tin of chopped tomatoes...with LOTS of shallot and celery and a few gigantic cloves of garlic.  I don't use a recipe...cleaning and steaming mussels is like second nature to me...just whack all the ingredients for the broth in...let it boil away and then in go the mussels...stir them around, put on the lid and steam....giving the pot a good shake every once in a while....

Seriously...I could sit down and eat that entire bowl of mussels, and drink all the broth.  Luckily for David I don't mind sharing with him. 

When I was wandering around the market I was so close to picking up something for dessert....something to round out the romantic meal...I ALMOST did it...I actually picked up a little sponge cake....but then something in my head (guilt) made me stop...

So no dessert for us. 

Walking home with my 3 lbs of mussels and gigantic bunch of parsley I thought...wait a minute...Moules de Frites! Mussels and Fries! Mussels and Fries....WITH MAYONAISE! what an fantastic Belgian feast...to make my mummy proud (she grew up in Belgium). 

A wonderful romantic start to the weekend.  Couldn't get much better than that! But...it did...

Thank you David!!! xo