Page Text: Alexanders and Mussels (invading Moules)
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Alexanders and Mussels (invading Moules)
When I first published this article on my other site The Other Andy Hamilton I noted that Alexanders can be found on the North Devon and Cornwall coast. Since then I delighted on finding them growing in their native Italy, in Tuscany to be precise. They have also made themselves at home across Bristol. Like many plants they have done a much better job of colonisation than their Roman introducers; in some areas, they are even considered an invasive species. Alexanders stayed popular for some time right up until celery took their place. A curious fact considering that although their texture and appearance are similar to celery their taste differs greatly.
A coastal visit during winter should yield enough mussels and alexanders to make this recipe. Some find the taste of alexanders quite overpowering, in this recipe, their flavour does not take overpower the dish and the taste remains as a gentle background reminder. I consider this dish to be a great introduction to the individual taste of alexanders. – For a video that includes some mussel foraging check out a short film I made called the forager’s way.
Ingredients