Spain may have won the World Cup, but get ready to celebrate with the French! Bastille Day is July 14th, in honor of the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, and it is France’s national holiday! Mussels with Herb and Smoked Paprika Croutons are one of our most favorite yummy French recipes!!

Ingredients

Mussels
2 pounds mussels
1/2 cup dry white wine

Herb and Smoked Paprika Croutons
5 slices plain white sandwich bread
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon fresh chervil, chopped  (can substitute parsley)
1 Tablespoon tarragon, chopped
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Methods/Steps:

Cook Mussels: Scrub mussels well under running water and pull off any beards right before use. Discard any broken mussels or any mussels that don’t close when given a slight squeeze. In a pot or large sauté pan, bring the wine to a boil. Add the mussels. Cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pot until the mussels open, 4 minutes. Using a skimmer, transfer the mussels to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool. Pour the mussel cooking liquid into a bowl. Stain liquid and reserve for assembly.

Make Croutons: Preheat broiler. Stack bread and cut off the crust. Cut the bread into tiny cubes about 1/4 inch squares. Put the cubes in a medium bowl, set aside. In a small skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic and paprika and cook over moderate heat until fragrant. Scrape the contents of the skillet over the bread cubes. Add the chopped herbs and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Assemble Mussels: Remove the mussels from their shells. Discard half of each shell and line the half on a sheet pan to stuff. Roughly chop the mussels and spoon some of reserved cooking liquid over the mussels to keep them moist. Divide the chopped mussels amongst the shells, about a tablespoon, and top with the croutons.  Broil 6 inches from the heat for about 1-2 minutes, rotating the pan as necessary, until the bread crumbs are browned and crisp. Serve right away on a platter garnished with parsley.

What better way to entertain the rowdy World Cup fans that will be crowding your living room for this Sunday’s big game, than to give them a themed and scrumptious appetizer such as Albondigas, more simply known as Spanish meatballs!! This recipe is a Parties that Cook favorite and is sure to score a winning goal!

Ingredients

Meatballs (Albondigos):
2/3 cup dried breadcrumbs soaked in 2/3 cup chicken broth
2 pounds ground beef or a mixture of veal, beef and pork
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 Tablespoons (2 ounces) minced Serrano or prosciutto
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Flour for dusting meatballs

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons olive oil +1 Tablespoon oil
1 yellow onion, minced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 chipotle in adobo, seeds removed, diced finely
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 bunch parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
12 saffron threads
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1/4 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika)
Parsley for garnish and toothpicks for serving
Loaf of bread for soaking up all the sauce

Methods/Steps

Form Meatballs: To make meatballs, combine the soaked breadcrumbs, ground meats, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, Serrano, eggs, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Dust lightly with flour.

Brown Meatballs: Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the meatballs over medium-high heat, in batches, until golden brown on all sides.

Sauce: Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat 1 Tablespoon oil and add onion; sauté for 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and chipotle and cook for an additional minute. Add wine, broth, salt and pepper.

Put the parsley, garlic, salt, saffron, almonds and pimenton in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until well chopped. Add mixture to sauce then add the sauce to the meatball pan.  Cover and cook meatballs for 7 more minutes.

Serve: Transfer meatballs to a warm serving platter.  Pour warm sauce over meatballs. Garnish with parsley leaves, and serve with toothpicks.

Recipe adapted by Parties That Cook www.PartiesThatCook.com from Delicioso! By Penelope Casas.
Serves/Makes

Makes 24 meatballs