Steamed mussels with garlic, coriander and chilli Personally, I can never grow tired of eating mussels. There are so many ways to cook and eat them. A mussel is a bivalve mollusc of which there are so many species. The common mussel is fished or cultivated on the coasts of the Atlantic, the English Channel and the North Sea, especially between the mouth of the Gironde and Denmark. Most people have no idea that the mussel culture has been practised in France since the 13th century. Some of you may know that mussels are nicknamed ‘the poor man’s oyster’, for those of you who don’t, the reason is because of its abundance, its reasonable price and it being one of the most popular shellfish in the world. Ever since my brothers and myself were paid with a couple of pounds of mussels for a small repair job that we did on a fisherman’s boat, I have absolutely loved this variety of seafood. After that, we decided to catch our own mussels. We filled up buckets of our proud catch and brought them home for mother to cook. We through any mussels with broken shells right back into the water. Sometimes we could not wait to have them cooked so we’d eat them raw. Raw mussels need to be eaten on that same day though. Catching mussels was so easy, it wasn’t really catching at all, it was more like collecting. Mussels are at their best if they are no more than 2-3 days old. When we brought them home, the ones mother did not use were put in the refrigerator, and stored on ice. If you are buying them from your fishmonger, make sure they are alive - you can tell if the shell is tightly shut. If the shell is slightly open, tap it, and it should close quickly. If it does not then throw it out. Always make sure to clean the mussels by brushing and scraping them under running water before preparing them. Mussels have a calorific value of 80 Calories per 100g and a high content of calcium, iron and iodine and are on all accounts full of great nutrients. Most of you may have had Mussels Mariniére, the classic method for cooking mussels and the recipe we most often use. In my own recipe, I have decided to spice it up a bit and break a little of the tradition by adding garlic, coriander and chilli, three asian influences making this an exotic and tasteful sensation. Mussels, they simply look good, taste great and are truly good for you! INGREDIENTS: 1kg / 2lb mussels, scrubbed and rinsed with beards removed 300ml / ½pint white wine 1 litre / 1¾pints fish stock 100ml / 3½fl oz double cream 50g / 2oz fresh coriander, leaves chopped 50g / 2oz fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 chillies, deseeded and sliced 4 shallots, chopped 25g / 1oz root ginger, peeled, chopped 3 leeks, chopped 1 stick of celery, chopped 1 sprig of thyme 1 sprig of rosemary Salt Freshly ground black pepper Serves 4 Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat. Add the garlic, chillies, shallots, ginger, leeks, and celery. Cover and sweat for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add the thyme and rosemary and transfer to a bowl. Rinse out the pan. Place the mussels, white wine and fish stock in the pan over high heat. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes, or until the mussels open. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, discarding any that have not opened. Add the vegetables to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning. Add the chopped herbs and pour over the mussels to serve. This dish is best served with fresh crusty French bread.

An Ideal Match Ingwe Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Sauvignon Blanc is a variety that seems to have been designed with seafood in mind. Its fresh flavours and bright acidity highlight and balance the briny tang of seafood like lemon can. Ingwe Sauvignon Blanc is a soft and flavourful wine that has enough acidity but also lovely tropical elements that will enhance the Asian touches to these mussels. It’s also very gluggable on its own. An Interesting Match High Constantia Rosé 2003 Add a dash of flair with this fun-time rosé that’s made from Cabernet Franc grapes. It’s deeply pink and chock a block with fruity flavours, yet it’s also very dry. The touch more tannin will match the meaty mussels, while the abundant fruit will add a fresh dimension to the spicy sauce.

1. Honey is the only natural food that is made without destroying any kind of life. 2. In their lifetime, 150 bees will gather only 25 millilitres of honey. 3. A bee can haul 300 times it's own weight, which is equivalent to a human pulling a 30-ton truck. 4. Some snakes hear through their tongues, grasshoppers hear through their knees and fish don't have ears, yet they hear or feel vibrations along the lateral line of their bodies. 5. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

Word of the month: baste Definition: To spoon over or brush food, as it cooks, with melted butter, fat drippings or liquid such as stock. A bulb baster can also be used to drizzle the liquid over the food. Basting adds colour and flavour and keeps meats and other foods from drying out. Fatty roasts, when cooked fat side up, do not need basting.

Make Sun Dried Tomatoes Making your own sun dried tomatoes is so simple and much more cost effective than buying them from the store. However, unless you live is a very sunny climate it is difficult to make the real thing. We are going to cheat a bit and use an oven or dehydrator to make ours. Although not technically sun dried, this method is actually more effective and trouble free. Before beginning, make sure that you have bought the correct tomatoes. The traditional drying variety is Principe Borghese, but you can also use plum or Roma tomatoes, which are more readily available. Prepare your tomatoes by slicing them into 2½ cm / 1 inch slices. Drain any excess juices by placing the pieces on paper towels and then lay them on your tray, if using your oven, or on the racks of your dehydrator. Make sure to leaving enough space between the pieces for the air to circulate. If you are using an oven, preheat it to 150C / 300F and place the tomatoes in single layers on wire racks or foil lined cookie sheets. If you are using an electric oven, set the temperature to warm and prop the door open slightly. The whole process should take between 10 to 24 hours. Remember to rotate your tray or cookie sheets for an even drying. If you are using the dehydrator rotate the trays to even out the drying. The whole process may take between 8 to 16 hours, depending on the thickness of your slices. When the tomatoes have finished drying they should be leathery but pliable and not sticky. They should have the same textures as a raisin. Once the tomatoes have cooled down you can either store them in their current state or in oil. The first method is simpler. Place the tomatoes in ziplock bags or a glass jar with an airtight lid. They will keep for up to 6 months. You can in turn freeze them if you are wanting a longer shelf life. You will first need to rehydrate your tomatoes if you want to store them in oil. This process is achieved by soaking them in hot water or wine for 5 to 10 minutes. Once properly rehydrated the tomatoes should be plump but still chewy. Dip them in either wine or distilled vinegar and then pack them in a jar filled with olive oil, sliced garlic and thyme or oregano. Allow the jar to stand at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours and then place them in the refrigerator.