A typical Provence Mussel and fennel soup
2 lb (900g mussels)
2 cups dry white wine
4 ripe tomatoes
3 TBS olive oil
1 leek
2 sprigs each of parsley and thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 small fennel bulb ( I used about one small)
2 inch (5 cm) dries orange peel ( i just used a fresh one and tied the fresh herbs inside it)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large floury potato such as russet
pinch of saffron strands
Method
Rinse and debeard mussels. Steam them in a large sauce pan or dutch oven. Add the wine, and cook them for 5 -6 minutes or until mussels open (throw out the ones that don't open). note - i just steamed them in water and used the wine in the soup. Remove and discard the shells. Reserve both the mussels and the cooking liquid.
Blanch tomatoes and chop. Heat oil in a large saute pan (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Add tomatoes, leeks, parsley, thyme, bay leaf (tied in the orange peel as you will remove this out later) and fennel. season with salt and pepper. cook, stirring frequently until softened.
Add mussel 2 cups of cooking liquid (the water in my case) and the the wine to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and cook until soft.
Remove from the heat. Let cool a little, then remove the herbs and the orange peel. mash the potato pieces to thicken the soup (i mashed in the blender).
Soften saffron strands in a spoonful of the soup and then stir into the rest of the soup. Adjust seasoning and stir in the mussels. Reheat gently until the mussels are heated through. Serve soon.
Serves 4.
Variation. Add 2 tablespoons dry spaghetti broken into pieces or short grain rice to the soup after you've mashed the potatoes. Cook for 10 -12 minutes until tender, then add saffron mixture and the mussels.
My variation: I added 1 turnip and 1 radishes together with the potatoes and it tasted delicious!
This soup was our sunday dinner served with some sourdough bread and some wine. It was so delicious I had to share it, because Autumn happens to be my favourite season to cook and enjoy some warm soups that warm your belly and soul. This one came from a recent French cookbook Cooking School Provence, one of several cookbooks that I intend to crack open and make some seasonal delights.
Come monday, I enjoyed the same soup for lunch in quietude (did you hear that? that means the little chatterbox is at school for 2 hours!). I sat down quietly with no distracting sounds and enjoyed every bit of the meal, while letting my mind appreciate all the good things in life right now. After a good 30 minutes, I then wrapped myself with the blanket, picked up my knitting and watched some of Mamma Mia before it was time to pick up the little one. It was a good Monday.
