Mussel Saganaki

Most of you would know that I am an amateur beekeeper.  This is a hobby that hubby and I share together, it is very rewarding and it is wonderful to give back to nature and help the struggling bee population.  These lovely bees pollinate all of the flowers within a 3km area and people are always happy to report that they have seen bees on their citrus flowers, broad bean flowers or native flora.  Bees usually make people smile as they know how vital they are to our ecosystem and how the bee population has suffered world wide and that there is a reduced honey supply available in Australia.  

Everybody, except one neighbour who complained to our local Council that the bees are a nuisance. 

So yesterday we had an inspector from the Council come to see our bee hives and are now waiting to receive notification from them which will in all probability suggest that we reduce the number of hives we own.   What a sad state for the bee population when this can occur because one neighbour has a 'bee in her bonnet'.   It is another strike against the already struggling bee population.

At least we can cook and be happy.  There is only one store in our town that sells fresh mussels and you have to be very quick to purchase them.  Last week when I was checking what day they were due to come in the sweet lady at the seafood counter suggested I phone in the morning and ask them to reserve a packet on the day they arrived in store.

This time I thought to try mussel saganaki, as I am so fond of prawn saganaki.  The word 'Saganaki'  actually means in Greek 'Little frying pan' but the most famous saganaki dish of all is fried cheese, traditionally Haloumi.

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Mussel Saganaki

• 1 kilo fresh mussels, rinses, cleaned and debearded
• 1/3 cup white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Small amount of sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups tomato passata
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, finely choped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 200g feta cheese, rinsed

Rinse the mussels; discard any damaged or open ones that don’t close when tapped. Place in a saucepan and add the white wine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally; cook for 4 minutes. Remove the mussels and keep the cooking liquid. Discard any unopened mussels.

Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and reserve.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and fry  for 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, parsley and black pepper to taste.  Only add a tiny amount of salt as the feta can be quite salty.

Add the reserved mussel cooking liquid to the frying pan bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has slightly thickened. 

Add the mussels to the tomato sauce, stir and make sure every mussel is covered with the tomato sauce, heat through for about 3 minutes.  Rinse the feta and crumble the feta over the top.  Remove from the heat and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Serve directly onto the table with a pot of hot pasta, some crusty white bread and a fresh garden salad.

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Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

Are you fond of bees?  Do you think their survival is vital for our eco system?

Easy Kim Chi

Now that it is Spring we spend hours in the garden every weekend.  Planting seeds and seedlings, improving the quality of the soil and yesterday Hubby put another layer of wooden planks on top of the existing ones to build up the asparagus bed an extra 20cm high.  Topping up the just peeking through asparagus spears with chicken manure and compost before layering with moisture saving straw.   We also have red and white cabbages planted but these plants are only infants at this stage.  We are also growing tomatoes, beans, bok choy, leeks, spring onions, chillies, lettuce, corn, butter squash, strawberries, spinach, rocket. capsicum, eggplant and many herbs.

Imagine my delight when I saw beautifully formed, huge womboks for sale at our local vegetable shop.  Kimchi immediately comes to mind for it's delightful flavour and fermented goodness.  I cannot fully share my excitement at the prospect of making a batch of kimchi.  My children (young adults) all love kimchi as well so it is a joy that can be spread through the family.

I have created a simplified version over the years, one that is full of flavour with enough moisture but with some texture and a beautiful aroma.   Inspiration comes from this Traditional Kimchi recipe but I like the simple flavours of my own version, without adding any shrimp or squid to the mixture.  I find the process of making kimchi enjoyable and relaxing.

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Kimchi (Tongbaechu)

1 wombok cabbage, approx 2kg
3/4 cup natural fine sea salt
1 bunch radishes (about 8)
2 carrots, peeled
10 spring onions (green shallots)
12 cloves garlic
1.5cm piece of ginger
1 onion
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 1/4 cups gochujang chilli paste  (Korean red chilli paste)
1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes
Porridge:   1 cup water
                  1 tablespoon rice flour
                  1 tablespoon raw sugar

Firstly slice the cabbage lengthwise into 4 quarters.  Remove and discard the hard core.
Then slice each quarter in half again before slicing into roughly 2.5cm pieces.  Place in a colander and rinse well with water.
Then place into a large bowl, sprinkling each layer with a little of the 3/4 cup salt.  Scrunch it all with your fingers and leave to rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours, 4 hours is better.  While it is resting, occasionally give it a stir to distribute the salt evenly.
After it has rested pour it all back into the colander and rinse well with fresh water to remove the salt.
For the porridge mix 1 cup water with 1 tablespoon rice flour (glutinous ground rice) in a small saucepan and stir whilst bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes.  It will thicken during this time.  Then mix in 1 tablespoon raw sugar until dissolved.  Take off heat and place into a large bowl.  Let cool.
Blend the garlic, ginger and onion until finely minced, in a blender or mortar and pestle.  Add to the cooled porridge with the fish sauce, gochujang and dried chilli flakes.  Add the cabbage and mix well.
Chop the carrots, radishes and spring onions roughly (I do this in blender for about 20 seconds) and also add to the cabbage mixture.  Mix it all together and pour into fermenting vessels or in jars with the lid slightly ajar and allow to ferment for up to one week at room temperature before moving into the refrigerator.

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Do you also enjoy the process of making dishes like kimchi or sauerkraut?

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx