The Enthusiastic Foodie.: I Seafood. I Eat-Food.

My dad. Wow, what an inspiration. I'm not shy about how great he is. It's not just that he holds himself to the highest standards of personal integrity, professionalism, is a genius, one of the kindest men that I have ever known, has modeled for me what a awesome man actually acts like, but, he is also one of my main teachers in the kitchen. Also, on a more personal note, he is someone who, along with my mom, shows me what it is to live out your Christian faith with integrity, transparency and is a testament to the reality of God's grace in everyday life. You can read a tid-bit about this through my blog from my adventures last summer at the Mustard Seed in Calgary. There were some amazing stories and adventures that happened and specifically, it was an unforgettable summer with regards to my dad and God's faithfulness.

Take a read, it's a gooder.

One of my earliest memories is making chocolate chip cookies with my mom and dad. My mom is an exceptional woman both in and out of the kitchen. Her infamous chili is something that will definitely be written about in the future- keep your eyes peeled.

Throughout my life my dad has taught me the value of leftovers, of experimentation and using creativity to construct something unique and delicious.

One day my pops came home from the grocery store with a huge bag of mussels (which were on sale! woo!) and a dream. A dream that would bring him a big plate of seafood that was light and delicious yet satisfying as a dinner.

After a few moments of reflecting what was in our fridge- his menu was constructed. Steamed mussels in coconut, white wine and onion broth. The only contribution that I made was suggesting that we finish the dish of with fresh cilantro and lime to brighten it and let the acidity cut through and highlight the other flavours of the dish.

VOILA.

My dad is the greatest.

Mussels in Coconut and White Wine Reduction

2lbs PEI mussels

3 tbsp olive oil OR 1/2 cup butter

3-5 garlic cloves

2 spanish onions

1 can coconut milk

1L white wine (of choice)

fresh cilantro

1 lime

fresh ground pepper

1. WASH THE MUSSELS THOROUGHLY. This is a very important step. We don't want to be eating a beach, we want the mussels only! Fill a sink full of water and soak the mussels. Swish them around a bit in order to remove as much grime as possible from the outside and possibly whatever can be removed from the inside as well. While you let them soak, move onto step 2.

2. In a large pot on medium heat, add the butter (or olive oil). Butter gives the sauce a richer flavor. I think it's okay here to use butter because we aren't really making soup, just a broth to cook the mussels in and therefore, the butter will remain mostly in the sauce and won't be eaten. So we aren't really chalking the dish full of fat, we are just enriching the cooking broth!

3. Roughly chop the spanish onions and add them to the melted butter.

4. Now for the garlic. Peeling garlic can be a tedious and annoying task but it doesn't have to be! If you have a large knife, hold the handle firmly with the blade facing away from you. Hold the knife over the garlic. Use the heel of your palm to push down on the knife and 'crush' the garlic. This should shed the garlic skin! Be careful though and make sure that the knife blade is facing AWAY from you. We don't want have any injuries people! Either mince the garlic or use a crusher and add it to the pot with the onion.

5. Let the onions and garlic sweat a bit and once the onions have soften, add the white wine.

6. Open the coconut milk. Depending on what kind you've bought, when you open it there may be a lot of firm coconut oil on the top of the can. Feel free to scoop that off. We just need the coconut flavour which we can get in the milk without the oil; however, just like the butter, we won't acutally be eating all this broth so the coconut oil isn't really a horribly unhealthy addition and may in fact add a lot to the flavour. Whichever route you choose to go, add the coconut milk to the broth.

7. Now, remove the mussels from the sink and add them to the pot. Place the lid on a turn up the heat slightly until it comes to a boil.

8. Remove the lid periodically to stir the mussels around.

My dad cooking up a storm.

9. When the mussels have opened, they are done! We don't want to over cook them because then they become super chewy and well, ain't no body got time fo'dat.

10. Remove some of the mussels from the pot into serving bowl. Transfer some of the cooking broth as well. Chop fresh cilantro and spread over top. Cut, juice and zest 1 lime over top as well.