.: evil jungle prince :.

With the weather outside so utterly ideal today (80F, sunny, with cool breezes), I am channeling Greece today in a big way. It's for this reason I decided to prepare midia saganaki (μύδια σαγανάκι), otherwise known as Greek mussels au gratin.

I'm still aglow after eating this dish... heaven. This dish is typical of what I like about Greek food: the combination of simple ingredients, fresh herbs, and a bit of pungency thrown in. Nothing is complex about it, and yet as with all Greek dishes there is a real cacophony of flavors here. On the surface a contradiction in terms, perhaps; Greek food however accomplishes this somehow.

1. To prepare this dish, I began by adding the mussels to a pot with a small amount of water. Once they were steamed and opened, I removed the mussels, removed the mussel meat, and rinsed thoroughly. The leftover stock from the pot was poured through cheesecloth and then set aside.

2. Next I chopped four tomatoes and sauteed them in butter with a little Italian parsley, adding a bit of salt and pepper to taste. After they broke down, I reintroduced the musselstock and reduced until the mixture began to thicken. I then added half a teaspoon of sugar and 1 tsp of vinegar, a necessary souring agent in this dish.

3. Finally, I placed the mussels in a gratin dish and poured the thickened tomato mixture over them. This was baked for 15 mins at 350F. At that time, feta cheese was added to the top and the dish was baked for an additional 15 minutes. A bit of fresh parsley was added as a garnish.

Make sure and eat this dish was lots of crispy bread to soak up the gratin. I can also personally suggest a nice cold beer. :-)