Cockles and Muscles Alive Alive Ho!

UD and I have been craving steamed muscles.  So the other night we finally partook.  There is a wrench in this story, however.  Dr. M told UD that he is diabetic, and therefore has to start choosing better carbs, and a healthier diet in general.  Hence the following:

Steamed Muscles in Wine and Butter Sauce:
This was going to be our meal, rather than an appetizer, so I bought 4 lbs of muscles.  I soaked them for about 10 minutes in 2 tablespoons of flour and enough water to cover.  That will make them spit out the sand.  If some of the muscles are open, and don't close if you tap the shell, they are most likely dead.  Don't take any chances, just throw them out.

While the muscles were soaking, I got together a loaf of multigrain bread (good carbs), some compound garlic butter I had frozen, and some chives.

I cut the loaf in half vertically, and then horizontally.  Later I froze the half I wasn't using, which will be great for another time.  I mixed the chives into the softened butter, and spread it liberally (not endorsed by Dr. M) on the bread.    I put them on a foil lined baking sheet, and set it aside.

Next I pulled out some dry white wine, chicken broth, butter, garlic (smashed) and onion (chopped), along with red pepper flakes for a little kick!

Then over medium heat I melted the butter.

Once that was melted, I added the onion and sautéed until the onion was soft.

Next I put in the garlic and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  I sautéed that until the garlic was a little golden and the red pepper had a chance to wake up!

Next came a half a cup of wine and a half a cup of chicken stock.  Once that came to a steady simmer, I added the muscles.

I covered the pot and let the muscles steam for 5-6 minutes, stirring lightly halfway through.

The oven was preheated to 375 degrees, so I added the chive and garlic bread and let that bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and oh so delicious.

Lastly, I placed the muscles and that delicious broth in a big "sharing" bowl and wedged in some toasty bread.  The only thing missing was the song Molly Malone in the background!

So the good is the fact that we used multigrain bread.  The bad is that we used the butter liberally.  But this is a meal that we would consider just OK for the new diet.  You will see a lot better choices in general, with an occasional dab of butter.  Let's face it folks, everything tastes better with butter.  :)

A bientôt!  See you soon.