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 Recipe Ingredients:
4 Kilos Mussels (choose the large and plump ones)
4 Big Heads, Garlic, finely chopped
3 Large Onions, finely chopped
3/4 Butter
1 whole Cheese, grated
Cooking Instructions:
Mussel Preparation:
Clean the mussel shells well. (This recipe is a shell-licking delight!)Place in a casserole 'without water' and simmer over medium fire. (Adding water will only extract the juice and flavor of the mussels) Mussels are ready when shells are opened. Remove from heat. One by one, take off the empty half of the shell, leaving only the shell with the mussel flesh. Set aside. Prepare the pan. (Pan should be big enough for stir-frying the mussels) Melt butter in the pan over 'slow fire only' to avoid deep browning and burning. Add the garlic until slightly brown. Stir in the onions. Mix in the mussels with their shells. Keep on stirring. IMPORTANT: Make sure the mussel flesh is fried in butter for sufficient flavor. Add more butter if needed but do not 'drown' the mussels. Just make sure the flesh will absorb enough butter for frying and for flavor. Stir constantly to avoid the shells from sticking in the pan. Little by little, mix in the grated cheese until all shells are covered. Stir constantly to avoid browning and burning of the cheese. By this time, the butter should have been absorbed by the mussel flesh. The cheese will melt and should stick to the shells for shell-licking delight. Add more cheese, if desired, but with caution: Overly cheesed mussels become too salty. Keep on stirring, allowing the cheese to stick to the mussels. Remove from heat before cheese starts to brown. Serving Suggestions:
One by one, place the mussels in a platter in a patterned design. Use the shape of the shell as your guide. (During stir-frying, some mussel flesh will be removed from their shells. Place them again inside their shell before putting in the platter.) Serve while still hot. Serving after cooled hardens the cheese and dries up all the juice of the mussels.
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