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FOOD 12 | SUNDAY • 31 MARCH 2019 maltatoday 500g fresh mussels 2 spring garlic 2 lemons 2 fennel bulbs 2 small potatoes 2 carrots 250ml fresh cream 250g white wine 5 sprigs parsley 2 sprigs fennel fronds Salt, to taste Saffron, to taste Pepper, to taste Butter / oil, as needed Method 1. Place one pot on high heat and another pan on low heat. Add the butter or oil to the pan on a low heat. 2. Chop all the vegetables into small cubes and add them to the pot on low heat. Add some salt and leave to cook for approx. 5 minutes till the veg- etables begin to soften. 3. Add the mussels to the pan left on a high heat and pour in the wine and the saffron. Mix well and cook for approx. 1 minute till all the mussels have opened. 4. Remove the mussels and let cool. Add the mussel stock and wine to the pot with the vegetables, passing all the liquid through a sieve. 5. Add the saffron to the pan and add the fresh cream. Remove all the mus- sels from their shells. Once out, remove the little 'beard' attached to the mussel itself. 6. Grate some lemon zest into the 'soup' and taste for seasoning. If season- ing is good, add the mussels and some roughly chopped herbs and mix them in well. 7. Serve immediately with some lemon slices if needed. Mussel Chowder CHARLES GRECH Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2014 Penfolds, Australia Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro is a classic Penfolds wine, steeped in nineteenth-century tradition. Typically it is a generous medium-bodied wine based on shiraz, but shot with the aromatics and muscular strength of mataro. It's best to drink early, but like many of Penfolds reds can last the distance in the cellar. Bouquet: Scents of black olive and dark black cherry laced with mixed spices/herbs, Dark chocolate notes and a skerrick of liquorice. Palate: Mataro's green tea-leaf characters immediately apparent, as is Mataro's inky/ rubbly palate imprint. Grainy/particulate/powdery tannins throughout. Ditto, barely perceptible oak (some vanillin, crushed biscotti f lavours). Evocative Shiraz fruits and savouriness dominate the mid-palate. Refreshingly medium-bodied, enticingly textured. Food Affinities: veal, roast chicken, planked salmon. Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co Ltd Valley Road, Birkikara T: 21 444 400 Fine quality Italian wines of tradition Irpina. Donnachiara, winery located in Montefalcione (Avellino), with its vineyards that stretch along the hills typical of the Irpinia, produces white wines and red wines of high quality including Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, Taurasi DOCG but also sparkling like Santè Falanghina. Soft crushing of the selected grapes and after that cold decanting of the must fermentation at 57-60°F in steel vats for 15 days. Malolatic fermentation is not done. Full expression of it's territory, the heart of Greco di tufo, with a specific attention to all the factors of maturation of it's aroma's. Nose: Offers fruity flavours of pear, apricot, pineapple and citrus Palate: Smooth, elegant and structured, with good freshness and a great persistence that confirms and amplifies the olfactory sensations. Food Affinities: Perfect with all seafood, pasta with light sauces , white meats and herb cheeses Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Donnachiara Greco di Tufo: DONNACHIARA Chef at Gourmet Today and at the Mediterranean Culinary Academy Keith Abela Ingredients Mussels are a great source of nutrients and taste fantastic in Keith Abela's rich and creamy chowder recipe Serves 2 This recipe first ap- peared on Gourmet Today TV, March 2019 Catch Gourmet Today on TVM every Thurs- day at 6.30pm