Mussels in quince, pumpkin and onion broth with homemade wild garlic butter

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 bunch wild garlic, fresh or frozen
• 500 g butter, room temperature
• salt and pepper
• chili flakes
• some lemon juice
• Garlic granules
• 1 baguette(s), possibly 2
• 2 kg mussels
• 400 g Hokkaido pumpkin(s)
• 400 g quince(s)
• 6 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 50 ml olive oil
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 fennel bulb(s) with greens
• 400 ml dry white wine
• 400 ml Martini
• 50 ml absinthe
• 600 ml tomato juice
• salt and pepper
• Tabasco
• 1 tbsp vegetable broth
• 1 bunch of dill
• 1 cup of crème fraîche with herbs as a topping

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

For the wild garlic butter, roughly chop the wild garlic and puree it with the room-temperature butter in a mixing bowl. It doesn’t have to be finely chopped; larger pieces look nice. Season the garlic butter with salt, pepper, chili flakes, lemon juice, and garlic granules. Depending on the desired amount, halve 1-2 baguettes lengthwise and brush the cut surfaces with the wild garlic butter. Fold the halves back together and wrap the baguette in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 180°C (top/bottom heat) for 10 minutes. Then slice. Remove the beards from the mussels and discard any broken ones. Core the pumpkin and cut into bite-sized pieces. Zest the quinces, remove the seeds, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel and dice the onions, peel and press the garlic. Cut the fennel into rings. Finely chop the fennel greens and dill. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the onions, sugar, quince, pumpkin, fennel, bay leaves, and garlic for about 10 minutes, until the sugar caramelizes slightly. Deglaze with wine, martini, absinthe, and tomato juice, and season with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and vegetable stock. Let the stock simmer for another 5 minutes. The quinces should not be completely soft yet. Now add the fennel greens, dill, and mussels. Cook with the lid on for another 5-10 minutes, then serve with the baguette slices. Serve with the crème fraîche on the plate as a topping. Tip: Leftover wild garlic butter can be refrigerated and eaten the next day or frozen in portions.