"mussels" news and stories

Classic French drinks at Brooklyn's Bastille Day. Photo: Alex Van Buren

Bastille Day is tomorrow, but in New York City the party started as it so often does -- early. From an uptown street fair in Manhattan featuring the decadent pastries of Francois Payard to a boozy, New Orleans-like outdoor fete on Smith Street (often called Brooklyn's Restaurant Row), the city was awash in stripes of red, white and blue.

Those wondering how to pay homage to that long-ago storming of the Bastille prison via gastronomical decisions tomorrow, not to worry: We've got a classic Provençal recipe and a few Francophilic cocktail ideas coming your way tomorrow.

Meantime, after the jump, a recap of the Brooklyn event (more pictures here) from moules frites to the peculiar triumph of anise-tinged Ricard.

• Veggies are great, but it can be a struggle to get through a box of organic produce every week.
• The perks of living in Toronto's Little Portugal.
• Recipes: Fig And Chili-Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Killer Mussels.
  
• Communities wait for the city of Toronto to establish a policy on park ovens so residents can get more tasty fresh bread.
• Click here for a rundown of the first Canadian Chefs' Congress.
• A new strong beer to try (yum!): Adnams Broadside Strong Original.
• Forget a ground covered in neglected fruit -- Not Far From the Tree takes care of fruit and makes use of it!
• Ever have a ground cherry?

• You don't have to cook your pasta sauces.
• How to catch and cook a Maine lobster.
• The research behind the movie No Reservations.
• This couple collects old and rare cookbooks.
• Meals fit for a queen.
• A cool tool for your corn on the cob.
• This week's recipes: Mussels with Wine, Mussels with Saffron and Tomatoes, Oaxacan Potatoes, Plum Ketchup, Ballpark Mustard, and Peach-Cornmeal Muffins.

• It's the Boston Globe Magazine's Restaurant Issue, with a list of the places to get the best service, five places where you should eat at the bar, and the anatomy of an order, from the opening cocktail to the check.
• Add a pickle or two to that lunch you're having today.
• How to make chickens lay better eggs.
• Behind the scenes of CookingWithAlicia.com.
• Wagamama is opening a location in Harvard Square.
• This week's recipes: Buttermilk Pancakes, Corn Cakes, Smoked Mussels, Corn Relish, and Too Simple For Words Roasted Peppers.

Flatbreads are the most consumed bread in the world, whether eaten plain, or as part of a dish: Thyme Bread (Manaqish bil-Za'atar), Moroccan Flatbread (R'ghayef), Turkish Meat Bread (Etli Ekmek), Yemeni Fried Bread (M'lawwah), and Yemeni Cilantro Chutney (Z'houg).

The Working Cook keeps within the Mediterranean theme with Chicken and Eggplant Kofte with Bulgur, then does an Asian Spicy Shrimp with Lemon-Peanut Kale & Rice. The Moveable Feast also does Asian with a Mu Shu Vegetable Wrap, and Vijay Bist, owner of Amber India restaurants in Mountain View and Santana Row, shares his recipe for Konkan Steamed Mussels.

There's a whole slew of new restaurant openings around the Bay.