Mussel Chowder

Today's lunch was a monster bowl of mussel chowder (I mean monster - I served it in a salad bowl).

The ingredients are 13 medium sized mussels, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk including the leaves, half an onion, two garlic cloves, a good sprig of parsley, 1 and a half cups of boiling water, half a cup of cream, a tablespoon of Manuka honey liqueur (but white wine or white rum would work) half a teaspoon of curry powder, a sprinkle of smoked paprika and black pepper - oh and a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of coconut oil for sautéing the veges.

First I steamed open the mussels in the boiling water.  They take about 5 minutes to open, so while they were doing that, I chopped up the garlic, onion, carrot and  celery and sautéed them in the spices,  butter and oil until just soft. 

When the mussels were done, I  chopped them in half and set them and the mussel stock (water) aside separately.

Then I added the alcohol to the veges, followed shortly by the mussel stock, boiling the veges until tender.  Lastly I added the cream and steamed mussels, allowing the chowder to come to the boil and heat through.

I served the chowder with some fresh chopped parsley - total prep and cook time 15 minutes. The mussels cost $2.39 and the cost of the other ingredients came to around $1.50. A warm and filling lunch for about $3.90.