Mussels with Amber Ale, OJ, and Bacon

 

Mussels are funny little creatures with a hard shell protecting it's soft and chewy insides. They're good! Mussels, oysters, and clams are my favorite. Tonight, I was browsing through my Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook and came upon Stephanie's White-Ale Orange Juice Mussels recipe and thought I could do that. I didn't quite have all the ingredients, I left out the bulb of fennel as I wasn't about to venture out in the cold rain even though I like that licorice flavor. I did add bacon which y'all know I'm a huge fan of. 

The final outcome turned out smoky, a little tangy, and delicious The only thing I would do differently next time would probably be to set aside the bacon once crisp and sprinkle them on top at the end. It's just a preference on how I like my bacon.

Ingredients: (adapted from Top Chef The Quickfire Cookbook)

4 slices of bacon, sliced into 1/2" 

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of orange juice

1 cup of amber ale beer

2 lbs of mussels, thawed if frozen

1 tbs of parsley, chopped

1 tsp of red chili flakes

jalapeno (optional)

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Add garlic and saute until golden brown.

Add orange juice and beer and simmer until reduced by half.

Add mussels and cook until tender or when all have opened up. Discard any unopened mussels. 

Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve with your bread to soak up the delicious juice.