{Gluten-Free} Mussels Casino + 2013 La Folette Pinot Noir

Most people go on vacation and go out to eat. Not me. I always make sure I have a full kitchen because vacation is a time when I get to catch up on my cooking to-do list. Tonight, after five hours on the road, I opened a bottle of La Folette Pinot Noir and made a gluten-free mussels casino.

"You can't go wrong with bacon, Mom," noted the Precise Kitchen Elf.

Yep. You're right. Bacon, shallots, and parmesan cheese are a magical combination.

Ingredients

2 pounds mussels, cleaned
2 shallots, peeled and diced
4 slices bacon, diced
olive oil
1/2 C gluten-free bread crumbs*
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 T fresh parsley, chopped + more for serving
1-2 T olive oil + more for drizzling
freshly ground salt
freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon and shallots until the fat is rendered and the shallots are caramelized. Move them to a medium mixing bowl.

Place the mussels in the same skillet with 1 C water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and cook for five minutes. Drain the mussels.

Add bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and parsley to the bacon-shallot mixture. Add enough oil to make the breadcrumb mixture stick together.

Spoon the breadcrumbs onto each mussel and press firmly to pack the filling into the shell. Place flat on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes - until the breadcrumbs are toasted and the cheese melted.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of more parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

*NOTE: I used Ian's Natural Foods Gluten-Free Bread crumbs and found them a little too crunchy and hardy. I'm thinking about using a nut meal instead next time. But, if you have any suggestions on a different brand of gluten-free bread crumbs, I would love a recommendation.

The Wine

I had a bottle of Greg La Follette's 2013 Pinot Noir I've been wanting to try. This comes from two family-owned, organically-farmed vineyards in Mendocino County. This was a beguiling wine - and surprisingly delicate for a Pinot Noir. It was simultaneously sweet - think vanilla bean - and earthy - think morel mushroom. It was smooth and subtle. My only complaint: it went down a little too easily! Maybe that has something to do with me being on vacation; I wasn't shy about a second glass of wine! Cheers.

Comments

Caulibits Crni Rižoto (Croatian Black "Risotto") #Whole30

Last week, I participated in the Wine Pairing Weekend event 'New Year, New Wine." I paired Crni Rižoto with Dingac Vinarija’s Pelješac...and you can read my post: here . I was pouring a Croatian wine and decided to make a traditional Croatian dish. Every seafood restaurant in Croatia has a Crni Rižoto (black risotto) on its menu. Crni Rižoto is risotto dyed black with squid ink; I used cuttlefish ink for the same effect. However, since arborio rice is not Whole30 compliant, I made a version for myself that used caulibits instead of rice. Ingredients 1 C fish stock (or a combination of fish stock and vegetable stock) 1 T olive oil 1 medium shallots, peeled and minced 1 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1/4 lb shrimp 1/4 lb squid tubes, cleaned and sliced into rings 1/4 lb scallops 1/4 lb clams, scrubbed 1/4 lb mussels, scrubbed 4 C caulibits, or chopped cauliflower 1 T fresh parsley, minced juice and zest from 1 organic lemon 1 t cuttlefish ink

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog