Why should you eat moules frites?
“Because we make the best chips and mussels in the world! There are some great places to go out and eat in Belgium and if you find the right spot you’ll get served a plate piled high with delicious mussels and chips.
This is everyone’s favourite meal. In Belgium we like to have lots of sauce. I like to mix ketchup and mayonnaise together and dip my chips in it.
As a professional footballer I very rarely drink alcohol, but if you go to Belgium, you’ve also got to have a traditional beer with it. You can’t beat it. Chips, seafood and beer – that sounds a lot like traditional English food, but I’ve never tried fish and chips.
English food is not for me. Although I have found some nice restaurants in Liverpool and Manchester, I like to cook myself.”
Ingredients (serves 1)
For the mussels
• 1kg of fresh, washed mussels
• 4 chopped celery stalks
• 1 finely diced shallot
• 1 cup of white wine
• 200gm of creme fraiche
• Sunflower oil
For the frites
• 3 Maris Piper or King Edward
potatoes (about 300g each)
Drink
• 1 bottle of Saint Feuillien Leon beer
How to make
• Peel and cut the potatoes into thin chips and set aside for frying later.
• Place all the mussels in a sink of cold water, tap the shells and throw any that don’t close. Remove beard, barnacles and any sand.
• Put a large pan on a high heat, add the mussels and celery and cook for a minute.
• Add the shallot, white wine and creme fraiche.
• Cover and allow to steam for 5-8 minutes or until all mussels are open.
• Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil to 180C in a in a deep-fat fryer. Fry the chips for 4-5 minutes, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.
• Turn the temperature of the oil up to 200C and put the chips back in for a further 2-3 minutes or until they’re crisp and golden brown.
Frites
Carb-packed white potatoes are seen as the new nutritional villains, but they contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, are high in vitamin C and hold more potassium than bananas – important for hard-working athletes.
Mussels
A great source of high-quality protein that will help to rebuild and repair muscle tissue after training. Armed with relatively high levels of leucine and amino acids, eating this shellfish will trigger the construction of new muscle tissues.
Celery
Often seen as a ‘nutrition-free’ veg, celery is actually bursting with free radical-fighting phytochemical antioxidants. It also is an excellent source of a complex carbohydrate called apiuman that has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Half-fat creme fraiche
Contains casein and whey, both high-quality proteins, and all the usual dairy type nutrients like calcium. Low in simple sugars and much lower in fat than cream, it’s a great choice to cut the calories.
Onions
Full of allyl sulfides that improve cardiovascular health, as well as supporting the health and function of connective tissues like those found in the joints of the knee and hip, which work hard during a match.
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Nutritional information provided by sports nutritionist Drew Price (visit www.drewprice.co.uk). Recipe from head chef at Chez Leon in Brussels (visit www.leon-de-bruxelles.co.uk)
For more nutrition tips:
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