recipe time

Oh man.

I got a cookbook for Christmas. Greetings from Maine Recipes from the Maine Kitchen put out by the Cancer Community Center. It's a non-profit kind of thing that does good works. You can get a copy of this cookbook at http://www.cancercommunitycenter.org/. Do it. The organization is cool and the recipes are much better than you usually get from stuff with Maine twice in the title.

First recipe I try is something I am going to post because I know that Jen over at Never a Dull Moment is looking for easy gluten-free recipes and I don't know if Robin at Around The Island might not be able to use it because there is Coconut milk instead of critter milk, and I think she has dairy issues with her kids.

In any case, it is yummy and I found all the ingredients at Hannaford, a Maine-based supermarket chain, so I'm pretty sure anyone will be able to find the ingredients without too much trouble. And don't get freaked out that it calls for mussels. This would work just as easily with boneless chicken breast cut up pretty small or tofu if you are vegetarian.

Thai Mussels

Serves 6 as an appetizer or two as a meal.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes (20 if you make rice)

1/4 cup butter
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I used a 28-ounce can of diced)
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and minced fine
2 cans (14 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt (I forgot and never missed it)
3 pounds of mussels, scrubbed clean (ours came in a 2-lb. bag, so that's what I used)

(I used our big wok to cook this)
Melt butter in bottom of a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.

Add tomatoes, garlic, and ginger, saute until garlic is tender.

Add is coconut milk, curry paste, salt and cilantro, reserving some cilantro for garnish.

Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add mussels, cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that don't open. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle on the rest of the cilantro.

Serve with plenty of crusty fresh bread to soak up the delicious sauce. (Dawn adds: or boil up some rice noodles and serve it in bowls like a large, lumpy soup.)

It was absolutely fantastic. The butter can be switched with margarine or oil according to your tastes, the mussels can be switched for boneless chicken breast, it can be served with bread, over rice noodles or on a plate of steamed rice.

{ASIDE: puppy is fine. Everything is working out. Ahem.}