Cool and Rainy Day

So far April has been a relatively warm month. With three days within the last week having hovered around 80F, the unseasonably warm weather is probably a harbinger of summer stickiness. Since I have been highly unsuccessful at house swapping with anyone from the southern hemisphere for the summer, and since today is cooler and rainy, I thought that I would enjoy some mussels before I will start having to worry about the summer heat increasing the likelihood of gastro-Russian roulette.

Mussels with Bacon, Sherry, and Rosewater

2lbs. mussels

1 cup sherry

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 strips of bacon, diced

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp rosewater

crushed red pepper

parsley, for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crispy over medium heat. Add butter and garlic and cook until just before garlic starts to take on any color. Pour in sherry and rosewater. Bring to a boil and add crushed red pepper. Reduce to a simmer and add mussels. Cook, covered, until mussels have opened. Move mussels to a bowl. Season broth to taste (if too salty from the bacon, a good squirt of honey is a nice touch). Ladle broth over mussels and garnish with parsley.