Our summer in the Catskill Mountains, to date, has been glorious and relaxing – well, up to a point. Remember, there is a wedding taking place near the end of August and we’re busy with that.
As mentioned in a previous post, grocery stores are few and far between in this region, and Armenian-Middle Eastern stores are even more elusive. We were able to secure a few items in town – Bulgarian Feta cheese, pine nuts, currants, and even jars of grape leaves. My sister and brother-in-law, thankfully, drove up from NJ to visit, bringing my shopping list of Armenian
items – various sizes of bulgur, basturma, chorag, apricot leather, lahmajoun, and such.
items – various sizes of bulgur, basturma, chorag, apricot leather, lahmajoun, and such.
Mandy, the bride-to-be, has requested that Midia Dolma be served at one of the pre-wedding gatherings. Problem – where do we find mussels in the mountains? Problem solved – at a grocer in Catskill, NY, about 40 minutes away. BUT they’re not fresh; they’re in their shells, pre-cooked and frozen in brine. We bought what we could find.
We were forced to experiment in advance by altering our recipe for Easy Midia Dolma and crossed our fingers that it would be edible.
Here’s what transpired:
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| The final product! |
Midia Dolma (using frozen, cooked mussels in brine, in their shells)
Yield: about 30 pieces
Main Ingredient:
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| The mussels I used |
1 – 1lb. pkg. frozen, cooked mussels in their shells packed
in brine
in brine
Directions for the Mussels:
According to the manufacturer, the mussels are to be heated from the frozen state as follows:
A. Stovetop: empty contents of pouch into a saucepan
and cover. Heat on high until mussels open, about 8-10 minutes.
and cover. Heat on high until mussels open, about 8-10 minutes.
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| Cooked and drained |
B. Microwave: cut a small hole in pouch. Place pouch in microwave with the hole facing upward. Heat until mussels open, about 5-6 minutes.
NOTE: Since there was no mention of what power level to use for the microwave, I cooked the mussels on the stove and they came out great.
Once cooked, I removed the beards and strained the mussel liquid through coffee filters into a bowl adding enough water to create one cup of cooking liquid for the rice.
Ingredients for the Filling:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 cup water (or a combination of mussel liquid and water to yield 1 cup)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. allspice or to taste
½ tsp. cinnamon or to taste
½ cup dried currants
1/2 cup pine nuts
Juice of one-half lemon
Garnish: Lemon wedges
Directions:
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| Midia filling |
1. In a medium saucepan, sauté onion in oil until softened, but not brown.
2. Add rice and water to the onion. Add seasonings. Mix. Cover; bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender (about 15-20 minutes).
3. Stir in currants and pine nuts to cooked rice. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.
4. Add lemon juice to the mixture.
5. Place about 2 tsp. of filling on each mussel. Arrange on a serving platter.
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| Mussel shells being stuffed |
6. Cover and chill until ready to serve. For best flavor, make a day in advance.
7. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Taste Evaluation:
Mandy, our main critic, gave this version of Midia Dolma an enthusiastic 2 thumbs-up!!
Mandy, our main critic, gave this version of Midia Dolma an enthusiastic 2 thumbs-up!!
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If the mussels are pre-cooked, I would definitely use the mussel brine rather than plain water to make sure the flavors mix. Looks delicious!
Yes, Ara, they were pre cooked & the mussel brine enhanced the flavor of the rice nicely!
I have a question…I read this over twice…So you “removed the Beard(muscle itself?) where does it say in your recipe you “did with it? Did you chop it up and use “in the filling??”
Hello Christine, Thanks for asking this question, perhaps I should have stated things more clearly in the recipe. The ‘beard’, which is attached to the mussel itself, is made up of fibrous threads which should be removed prior to stuffing or eating the mussel. Simply grip or pinch the beard firmly with your fingers – or use a dry paper towel – and give it a tug to yank it out, then discard the beard. It’s a bit time consuming but is worth the effort. I hope this makes a bit more sense.