Mussels with leeks, white whine and Greek oregano!

Name: Mussels with leeks, white whine and Greek oregano!
Total time: 1500 s
Yield: 4 people (as an appetiser)
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 kg Fresh Mussels; 3/4 (1 cup) white wine (or two shots of Ouzo), enough for the mussels to cook in; Half the stem of a leek, sliced; Half a tomato, chopped; Dried Greek Oregano (at least a good tablespoon, adjust to taste!); Juice from half a lemon; Lemon zest (to taste); 2 hefty tablespoons of olive oil (this is a Greek inspired recipe, so the more the merrier!); 1 good tablespoon of butter (this is also a French recipe, so the same rule applies for butter!)

Bristol Food Society @Bristolfoodsociety

A little Greek variation on the classic French dish, by chef Yannis!! To make it even more greek you can use authentic Ouzo instead of white wine, highly recommended!!

Make this to add a flair of Greek elegance to your table and share with your friends and family!

A little Greek variation on the classic French dish, by chef Yannis!! To make it even more greek you can use authentic Ouzo instead of white wine, highly recommended!!

Make this to add a flair of Greek elegance to your table and share with your friends and family!

Bristol Food Society @Bristolfoodsociety

A little Greek variation on the classic French dish, by chef Yannis!! To make it even more greek you can use authentic Ouzo instead of white wine, highly recommended!!

Make this to add a flair of Greek elegance to your table and share with your friends and family!

A little Greek variation on the classic French dish, by chef Yannis!! To make it even more greek you can use authentic Ouzo instead of white wine, highly recommended!!

Make this to add a flair of Greek elegance to your table and share with your friends and family!

Saved

Ingredients

25 minutes

4 people (as an appetiser)

1 kgFresh Mussels
3/4 (1 cup)white wine (or two shots of Ouzo), enough for the mussels to cook in
Halfthe stem of a leek, sliced
2 garlic gloves, choped
Halfa tomato, chopped
Dried Greek Oregano (at least a good tablespoon, adjust to taste!)
Juice from half a lemon
Lemon zest (to taste)
2hefty tablespoons of olive oil (this is a Greek inspired recipe, so the more the merrier!)
1good tablespoon of butter (this is also a French recipe, so the same rule applies for butter!)
Some slices of well toasted bread

Saved

Steps

25 minutes

1

Clean the mussels thoroughly with a wire, under cold running water.
Little tip: to check if the mussels are fresh and not spoiled you need to see if they are closed. If there’s any open ones, don’t fret, they may still be good! Just throw them or tap them in the sink! If they react and close, that means they are still good to go!
2

Slice the leek stem in around half an inch pieces (or to your preferred size) and chop the garlic finely. Chop the tomato in small cubes.
3

Heat a good amount of olive oil in the pan over medium high heat and add the garlic and leeks. Cook till the garlic releases it’s aroma and the leeks start to soften. Then add the tomato as well.
4

Once the leeks have started to soften (careful not to overcook them in this step) add the mussels in the pan and stir the pan well to cover the mussels in the oil.
5

Add the wine, crank the heat up and close the lid of the pan to let the mussels steam
6

After 3-4 minutes open the lid and check if the mussels have cooked opened. If any mussels remain closed that means they are bad and should be thrown away. Stir the pan well again and make sure that the liquid in the pan mixes well with the mussels. Add a little more wine or oil if necessary. Lower the heat a little and closed the lid again.
7

After another 3-4 minutes open and check that the mussels are cooked through. They should be too soft, but careful not to overcook them and dry them our. If they look ready take out the mussels with the leeks and put them in your serving bowl. Leave the liquid in the pan.
8

Keep the heat on medium-high and cook the remaining liquid till all the alcohol has evaporated and the liquid has reduced a bit. Careful to not reduce it too much.
9

Once the liquid has reduced a bit, add the lemon juice, zest half a lemon in the liquid, season with salt and pepper to taste and turn off the heat. Add the butter and let the juice emulsify, stirring gently. Add more butter if necessary. Finally add the oregano.
10

Pour the liquid gold over the mussels and stir generously till all the mussels are properly covered and drenched in the juice.
11

Toast your bread with some olive oil in a pan till it’s nice and crispy, adding a little bit of oregano to it.
12

And you’re done!! Serve your mussels by adding a generous sprinkle of the Greek oregano, alongside the bread. You can pair it very nicely with some saffron rice (credit to Linda for her amazing rice)!