Teddy folkman's moules fromage bleu

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pound rope-grown P.E.I. mussels
• 4 tablespoons blended oil (40 percent extra-virgin olive oil, 60 percent canola oil)
• 1/3 cup diced applewood-smoked bacon
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1/4 cup Hook's Blue Cheese, or a similar mild, creamy blue
• 1/3 cup white wine, preferably a dry Chardonnay
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup baby spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed
• Sea salt, as needed
• Black pepper, as needed

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Preparation

• First rise and check all the mussels. If they are cracked--throw them out! If they are slightly opened, squeeze them. If they don't close back up within a few seconds--throw them out! One bad mussel can spoil the whole pot!
  
  Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and it is slightly browned. (I take the bacon out, then add it back in at the end so it stays a little crisp!)
  
  Add the shallots, saute a minutes or two, then add the mussels and toss together. Add the white wine and lemon juice and toss together.
  
  When the mussels start to open, add half of blue cheese, melting it into the broth. As soon as all mussels are open, toss in the spinach.
  
  Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Top with the rest of the blue cheese and the bacon! Serve with crusty bread to sop up the blue cheese broth!