This time of year, if I'm cooking at home, I'm grilling on the deck. Here's what I consider a non-recipe kind of recipe, if you're looking for inspiration that goes beyond a hamburger. This is my weeknight Grilled Mussels with Green Herbs.
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 big spicy red pepper or a couple small ones
1 tsp diced chopped garlic
1/2 cup scallions whites and greens separated
1/2-3/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2-3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup white wine (Tsiakkas Xynisteri)
2 lbs mussels
Fresh green herbs from your garden (parsley, cilantro, dill, oregano)
Get your grill to a medium temp and secure a sturdy oven-safe sauté pan. Set the pan right on top of the grate and get your pan hot. Pour in your olive oil and sauté the garlic and red pepper. After a couple minutes, add your chopped garlic and scallion whites and let cook for about 5 minutes or until it smells wonderfully savory.
Then, add your aleppo pepper, sea salt, and black pepper and stir it all up. Add about 3/4 cup of white wine (I'm using a Cypriot white) and let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Then, add your mussels and gently simmer until they all open. You can use frozen or fresh mussels. All that matters is that they're raw and not already sauced. Let the flavors meld a bit more and then garnish with cilantro, parsley and the scallion greens. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread . Nothing's better than sopping up those juices with sourdough (I get mine from Rockaway Bread.) Serve it straight from the pan!
