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Home-Brewed Suds Pack Punch

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Inspired by the mussels with chorizo served at the Columbia Restaurant in Celebration, I got the itch to re-create a similar version at home. Here's my knockoff version: the steamy broth the mussels are served in is simple, buttery and smells sweetly of basil. Serve them as an appetizer or meal. And, there's nothing better than crunchy bread dipped in the broth.

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By Lynn Kessel

Tribune Correspondent

Published: February 25, 2009

Sampling beer is a lot of fun. But Salade Nicoise made with a scoop of runny tuna salad on greens drenched in mundane ranch dressing is not.

A disappointing Valentine's Day lunch full of mishaps at Epcot's Chefs de France was just one small hiccup in a long-overdue sibling reunion.

After several months of planning, my better half and I met up with my brother Dan, and his wife, Polly, my sister Janet and her husband, Doug, at the Mona Lisa Suites in Celebration. We booked rooms two doors apart.

Before dinner on Friday night, we gathered together for what I thought was a highlight of the trip - a surprise sampling of Doug's basement-brewed beers and some geeky beer talk to boot. It was my first beer-tasting seminar.

Doug evolved from a beer lover into a beer maker 25 years ago to make drinking amber spirits more affordable. These days, he brews it for the quality he can't find in commercial beers. Ask him almost anything about beer, and there's a pretty good chance brewmeister Doug knows the answer. I was impressed.

So in the cozy comfort of a fourth-floor suite-turned-taproom, our foamy journey began with five Belgian ales. Doug explained that every beer in Belgium has its own signature glass. Thus, pubs with 99 beers have 99 different glasses to serve them in.

To taste beer, Doug said, you look, sniff and then sip. In fact, he said, you must take several sips to cleanse the taste buds before making an assessment. To add some fun, he had us guess the ingredients, which included surprises like bourbon, vanilla and honey.

We each sampled Doug's home-brewed Borken, Bieken, Westmalle, Rolheforte 10 and Belgian Special Strong Ale. The consensus was overwhelming, in a word - awesome.

Later that evening, we dined outdoors at the Columbia Restaurant in downtown Celebration. The fresh Prince Edward Island mussels and chorizo Andres were wonderful.

Sauteed and simmered in extra virgin olive oil and a mixture of onions, celery, tomato, basil, spinach and garlic, they were splashed with dry white wine and lemon. The dish was accompanied by hunk of parchment-wrapped, hot, crusty bread for mopping up the incredible sauce.

Round two of "hoppy hour" continued Saturday evening after a full day at Epcot. This time, we tackled a stronger roster of beers - a British-style brown ale, a vanilla stout and a Belgian strong ale called Westvleteren. Each drew rave reviews, and all were smooth and engaging.

One batch of home-brewed beer can take approximately two months to make, Doug said. Brewing beer is like cooking. Each recipe requires different techniques and ingredients. A basic starter kit costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 and yields a 5-gallon batch.

Cheers to the family, a great weekend, and the brewmeister!

MUSSELS WITH CHORIZO

2 pounds mussels, cleaned

2 Spanish chorizo sausages, sliced

2 - 3 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced

3 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, for seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

Heat olive oil and sliced chorizo in a deep pan large enough to hold the mussels. When the sausage is cooked and has rendered its fat, remove it from the pan and set aside. Add the spinach, shallots and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and then cook until they have wilted and softened. Return the sausage to the pan and add the tomato, mussels and white wine. Cover and cook on high heat until the mussels open. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan when the mussels are done, remove the mussels and cook the broth uncovered until it has reduced. Add butter, combine the broth mixture with the mussels and toss with the torn basil.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For her recipes, visit southshore.tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggestions.

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