Bite with Belkys: Mediterranean Mussels from Trattoria Il Migliore

The Chef and Owner: Brett Redstone
The Restaurant: Trattoria Il Migliore
The Dish: Mediterranean Mussels

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of mussels, preferably Mediterranean (Prince Edward Island mussels can be a substitute)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 sprigs of saffron
1/4 cup of tomato, roasted
1/4 cup of clam juice clam juice
1/2 cup of dry white wine
2 oz. of chorizo, cooked
2 Tbs of olive oil
2 oz. of garlic
2 oz. of shallots
1 oz. of fresno peppers
1 oz. of jalapeno peppers
6 Tbs of sofrito (recipe follows below)
3 Tbs of butter

Method of Preparation:

-In a pan, add mussels and season with salt, pepper and saffron. Also, toss in roasted tomatoes, clam juice and a dry white wine.

-Next, in a separate pan sauté chopped chorizo with olive oil, garlic, shallots, fresno peppers, jalapeno peppers and sofrito. Chef Brett makes his sofrito with onion, tomato, red pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, chicken stock, garlic and white wine - all roasted and blended together.

-Toss the chorizo mix with the mussels, cover the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. All the clams should open up.

-After the clams are open, add butter.

Ingredients for Sofrito:

1 lb. of onion, diced
1 lb. of tomato, diced
1 lb. of red pepper, diced
3 jalapeno peppers, rough chop
1/4 cup of cilantro
1 cup of chicken stock
3 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup of dry white wine

Method of Preparation:

-Cook over med-low heat for two hours. Then, let it cool down and blend it all together.

To Plate:

Serve the clams and the remaining juices. You can garnish with toasted bread.

Serving Suggestion: Beer

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Trattoria Il Migliore
2576 NE Miami Gardens Dr
Miami, FL 33180
(305) 792-2902
http://ilmig.com/