One of the few remaining movie legends Paul Newman passed away at his home on Friday from lung cancer at the age of 83. Of course we all knew him to be a true Hollywood legend, and yet he was also a softly spoken modest man.

Amongst his many charitable works for AIDS, Cancer and Homelessness, Paul Newman founded a children’s charity called Hole in the Wall Camps in 1988 (named after The Hole in the Wall Gang from the movie Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid).
To date the summer camps have given holidays to more than 100,000 seriously ill children free of charge from the USA and around the world.

I was lucky enough to cook for him 3 times when he came to a restaurant I was working at in Middleburg, VA.

Mr Newman had a horse ranch in Virginia, which he and his wife liked to spend time at.

I only spoke to him briefly, but those sparkling blues and charming nature made a big impression. I send my condolences to his family.

Hole in the Wall Gang Cookbook: Kid-Friendly Recipes for Families to Make Together

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684848430?ie=UTF8&tag=looktothestar-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0684848430

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Please read the article below this post. This is part of my experiment into changing my blog design. This soup recipe is also posted at my main site because I'm looking for feedback into which blog design I should use, your constructive comments will be greatly appreciated, thanks. If you have never visited my main site here is a link. www.wannabetvchef.blog.co.uk

Since summer has been a total washout in the UK I wanted to share with you some comfort food to cheer you all up and there's nothing more comforting then a good bowl of soup. A few days into September we are back into Mussel season so I thought I share this most precious of my recipes.

The Blue mussel is grown both in waters around the UK and the New England States, often the larger sizes you see are commercially grown on ropes. Mussel farming has extended the availability to almost year round; even so I do still prefer to buy UK mussels during months that have an R in them for best quality and larger size. This recipe is one of my all time favourite ways to eat Mussels so French and such a great combination of flavours.

1 kg (2.2 lb) live mussels
750ml (30floz)*chicken stock
200g (8oz) peeled diced potatoes
½ cup (8floz) blush or white wine
1 medium white onion diced
Several large pinches of saffron threads
200ml Whipping cream
1 large vine ripe tomato
2 Tbsp chopped coriander

1. Place the saffron strands in a teacup, cover with boiling water and allow to cool.
2. Wash the live mussels in a sink of cold water, discarding any dead ones (that are open).
3. Scrub off any barnacles and then drain well.
4. Heat a large heavy saucepan then add the cleaned mussels and wine and cook on a high heat with the lid on until all the mussels have opened.
5. Remove from the heat and allow them to cool down.
6. In a separate saucepan melt the butter, add the diced onions and potatoes and cook on a moderate heat stirring occasionally without colouring the vegetables for 6-8 minutes.
7. Add the stock and allow to the soup to simmer until the potatoes are tender.
8. Reserve the cooking liquid from the mussels and move them to a separate bowl rinsing the mussels under cold water to remove any grit.
9. Strain the mussel liquid through a very fine strainer, return to the heat and add the cream, saffron mix and simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes.
10. Meanwhile liquidize the stock and potatoes until very smooth then strain into the saffron cream.
11. Remove the seeds from the tomato, cut the tomato into a small even dice then add to the soup.
12. Remove half the shell from the cleaned mussels and return them to the soup.

To Serve
Add the Coriander then season with salt and pepper and serve with warm crusty bread.

Chef's Tips
If you don't have a very fine strainer you could lay a sheet of clean paper towel inside your strainer to catch any grit. Buy your saffron from your local Asian store if you can because it is usually cheaper, fresher and a better quality. *You could substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock if you wish.

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