It is fitting that I am able to host this giveaway so close to my blog anniversary! One of my biggest inspirations for learning how to cook and starting a blog to document it was Cooking Light Magazine. My mom on a whim picked up a copy of the magazine while at the supermarket. As I paged through, I was surprised with how simple the recipes seemed to be and how absolutely delicious they all sounded. After cooking a couple of the recipes, I was hooked. Three years later, Cooking Light remains a huge inspiration as I continue to learn how to cook.
One of the best parts of learning to cook is being able to experience different cultures in your very own kitchen. America alone has a ton of different cooking styles with different areas and cities having signature dishes. Allison Fishman Task, a contributing editor of Cooking Light, traveled across America to discover native dishes across the nation. The lightened up versions can be found in Lighten Up. America! Favorite American Foods Made Guilt-Free. The cookbook tackles everything from fried green tomatoes to Philly cheesesteaks.
You can win a copy of this cookbook for your very own! Details after the recipe…
I am always in search of new seafood recipes so I gravitated towards the recipe for Beer Steamed Clams and Mussels. To Philadelphia-ize it, I used a local beer from Philly Brewing Company called Walt Wit.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 5 sprigs marjoram
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bottle Walt Wit (or another Belgian White)
- the juice and zest of one orange, divided
- 10 clams (I used larger clams but I’d suggest using Littlenek)
- 24 mussels in shells, scrubbed and debearded
- 6 lemon wedges
This recipe works best if you have a large, wide pot so that the shellfish can cook evenly. I used my Dutch oven but it was a bit overcrowded. They still turned out great!
Before beginning, zest your orange and set aside in a small bowl. Squeeze the orange juice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots, marjoram sprigs, and garlic.
Cook until shallots begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the beer and orange juice and bring to a simmer.
Add the clams and mussels and return to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low.
Cook for about 10 minutes, giving the pot a good shake before opening. Discard any shells that did not open. Top with orange zest and some more marjoram leaves. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty Italian bread.
This dish is so simple but there is a great flavor to the shellfish. The original recipe used thyme, but I think the marjoram was a great substitute and enhanced the flavor of the beer.
Don’t forget to put out an extra bowl for the shells!
Want to win a copy of this cookbook? Use the widget below to enter. Good luck!!
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 5 sprigs marjoram
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bottle Walt Wit (or another Belgian White)
- the juice and zest of one orange, divided
- 10 clams (I used larger clams but I’d suggest using Littlenek)
- 24 mussels in shells, scrubbed and debearded
- 6 lemon wedges
- Before beginning, zest your orange and set aside in a small bowl. Squeeze the orange juice and set aside in a separate bowl.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots, marjoram sprigs, and garlic.
- Cook until shallots begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add the beer and orange juice and bring to a simmer.
- Add the clams and mussels and return to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, giving the pot a good shake before opening. Discard any shells that did not open. Top with orange zest and some more marjoram leaves.
- Serve with lemon wedges and crusty Italian bread.
How about lobster bisque? – so rich bu soooo good!
cuban sammies! cheese, ham, bread…but delicous!
I’m from Madison, WI, and I doubt there’s any good way to ‘lighten up’ beer-battered deep fried cheese curds, so instead I’ll say… cheddar beer soup?
Allison (Spontaneous Tomato) recently posted..Pomegranate Focaccia with Dipping Sauce
Allison, your comment just made me laugh out loud 🙂 Good luck!!
Kaitlin @ I Can Cook That recently posted..{Please Vote} Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Cioppino
I’m from Michigan. Northern Michigan pasties (pronounced: pah-steez)
Hey Kaitlin, this looks great! I’ve never made mussels before so it was really interesting.
Morgan @ Peaches, Please! recently posted..The 12 Desserts of Christmas e-Cookbook and Launch Giveaway!
Also, we ate a lot of cheese steak at home. It was pretty awesome, but could probably be lightened up a bit.
Morgan @ Peaches, Please! recently posted..Cranberry Chicken Salad
the beer steamed clams and mussels look delicious and I am going to try this delicacy. I harmonize with your conclusions and also will certainly thirstily look forward to your approaching updates. Just saying thanks will certainly not simply just be enough, for the massive lucidity in your writing. I definitely will directly grab your RSS feed to stay abreast of any kind of updates.
I love mussels a lot I created my different recipes with this but I didn’t try with beer now I m going to try it soon .thanks for sharing.
Brewing is a healthy activity i and I love to brew especially on Sundays and I tried many different variations and homebrew and the mussels are the best combinations I think. thanks for sharing your work.