Chef's Note: When in Belgium, do what the Belgian's do. Eat mussels! Serve these delectable mollusks with plenty of fresh, crusty bread to sop up all that good broth, and be sure to be sipping a Belgian wheat beer.

Ingredients:

Yield: 4 servings

1 Tbs. olive oil
3 lbs. black mussels, scrubbed well
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 leek, split, sliced and washed
2 large tomatoes, diced
4-oz. clam or chicken broth
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil, for 1 minute.
   
2. Add the mussels, garlic and shallots, cook for 1 minute then stir in the leek, tomato, beer and broth.
   
3. Simmer until mussels start to open, finish by stirring in the butter and seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Perfect match: Belgian mussels with Weiss beer sauce and Tsingtao Pilsner.

Tim Schafer's Cuisine
82 Speedwell Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07960
973-538-3330
www.thebrewchef.com

Create an unforgettable dining experience with Andrea Immer's Entertaining Made Simple CD collection. Each CD includes music, menus, recipes, affordable wine recommendations and video demonstrations.