Fancy Dinner Part 1: Steamed Mussels with Leeks

This Fall, I made a completely impractical meal for the parentals' 30th anniversary.  Mom photographed the process, so here comes a whole lot of blogging.

BFD (....Big Fancy Dinner) Part 1: Steamed Mussels with Leeks

This one actually was pretty simple...and incredible.  It can certainly be scaled down.  I could have either procured 2 lbs of mussels or 4 lbs.  And this being a BFD...I went with 4, of course.

Clean mussels.  Put a bloop of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of butter in a large pot, let melt.  Add the chopped white parts from a bunch of leeks (2 or 3) and 4-6 minced garlic cloves.  Let cook until they soften.  Add the mussels and 3/4 c white wine.  Let it all simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add another pat of butter on the top, let it melt.  Serve with chopped parsley on top, if you like.  In retrospect, it was pretty, but I don't think it added a whole lot to the dish.  Serve with bread for dipping and some of that white wine.