New England style game-day mussels
From Max Eagan, chef at Lambert’s Cove Inn Restaurant.
2 lbs. mussels
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic sliced very thin
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tomatoes diced
1 package of chorizo or linguica roughly chopped bite size
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Pinch of salt
Olive oil
1 bottle of good light beer
A loaf or two of crusty bread
Rinse and de-beard the mussels (this can be done ahead of time, they will keep with a wet towel placed over them in the fridge).
The next process happens quickly so you want to have your ingredients close by and ready.
Heat on high a very large sauté pan with lid (soup pot can be substituted as long as it will fit the mussels.) Add a splash of olive oil, the onion and chorizo, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until onion has softened and chorizo gets a little color.
Add garlic, parsley, pepper flakes, and pinch of salt, stir around 1 minute more. Finally add the tomatoes and mussels. You want the pan very hot when you do this as the mussels will tend to cool down the pan. Add the bottle of beer and cover until all the mussels are open, stirring a few times helps. Serve in a large bowl with warm crusty bread. Great finger food to share with lots of friends.
Fresh Salsa
From Josh Aronie of Menemsha Cafe.
Depending on how much salsa I want, I fill the container it is going in with ripe tomatoes so I have an idea how much I will end up with.
1 qt. diced ripe tomatoes, seeds and juice added. Only remove the part where the stem meets the tomato.
1/2 to 1 small diced red onion
2-3 juiced limes
1 jalapeno small dice (with seeds for hotter salsa)
half of a bunch of fresh washed cilantro rough chop
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Mix in bowl and season until you like it. Strain juice into jar or container and set aside (do not throw away).
Guacamole
6-10 ripe avocados (remove pit and put flesh in mixing bowl)
Mash with fork or potato masher
Add 1-2 teaspoons of cumin
Two to three spoonfuls of your fresh salsa
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Several squirts of Cholula hot sauce to taste (ultimately you should like the way it tastes).
