Our Super Bowl Food - MUSSELS!

We certainly didn’t have traditional game day food for Sunday’s Super Bowl, but I’ll take mussels steamed in white wine over chicken wings (yuck!) or potato skins in a heart beat. Mussels are one of my favorite foods from childhood. They were only eaten in a restaurant, Diablo-style, where their unique taste was often lost in the spicy tomato sauce. Fast forward 30 years to my own kitchen, a refined palate, and an appreciation for the light, sweet, meatiness of good mussels. These black beauties are not fishy in the least, but they do have an ocean essence and are ever-so-slightly chewy but nothing like clams. If you haven’t prepared mussels before or think you don’t care for them, give this recipe for Mediterranean Mussels with Farro and White Wine a try. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight supper, but pretty and sophisticated to serve to company. Farro is an ancient grain, popular in Europe, particularly Italy, and is now becoming more fashionable in the U.S. Being a whole grain, it has a nutty, earthy flavor that is a nutritional powerhouse and works well with mussels. Loaded with vegetables, the dish is exceptionally healthy.

It seems I’ve been posting a lot recently from cookbooks and about cookbooks. Admittedly, I am a cookbook cook. While I rarely prepare a recipe as written in a cookbook, I seldom just throw something together without a recipe as a guide. With that introduction, this recipe is from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More, a 2011 NY Times Notable Cookbook, by Maria Speck. It has recipes highlighting grains for all courses, breakfast through dessert. The photos are lovely, recipes clearly written, easy to follow, and none are complicated. I’m trying to cook more Mediterranean so it’s a nice addition to my collection. Be sure I’ll post more recipes from this five-star cookbook. The recipe below reflects the changes I made, namely the addition of fennel, which I think is a natural in a Mediterranean stews, and I used chicken broth in lieu of water. As Anne Cori from the Kitchen Conservatory wisely teaches, water has no flavor. Why cook with it in something like this?

A note:  if you have Wholes Foods near you, buy mussels there. Their mussels are farmed raised and ready to cook, with those nasty beards removed and cleaned of sand and residue. Best of all, no waste. I have never had a mussel from Whole Foods not open, which just doesn’t happen if purchased elsewhere.

Mediterranean Mussels with Farro and White Wine

Original recipe from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More

Serves 3 to 4 as a main course or 4 to 6 as a starter

For the Farro
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup farro
1 small bay leaf
2 whole peppercorns
Pinch of fine sea salt

For the Stew
2 pounds fresh mussels in their shells
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 small)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (about 2 small)
1 cup thinly sliced celery stalks (1 to 2 pieces)
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2 tsp. minced dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red chili flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or diced canned tomatoes with their juices, (one 14-ounce can)
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar 
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

To prepare the farro, bring the water, farro, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the grain is tender but still slightly chewy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drain any remaining liquid, and set aside.

While the farro simmers, rinse the mussels under cold running water, brushing to remove sand and residue on the shells. Remove the beards (hairy clumps around the shell) with tweezers or a sharp knife. Discard chipped mussels. Tap any open mussels and discard if they don’t close. Set the cleaned mussels aside.

To make the stew, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, the bay leaves, chili flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add 1/4 cup of the white wine, and cook until syrupy and the liquid is almost gone, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the stock, the remaining 11/4 cups white wine, the pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar.

Add the mussels and the farro together with the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and steam over medium to medium-high heat, shaking the pot once or twice in between, until the mussels open, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and discard any unopened mussels.

Print Recipe

Book Clubs and Food

About a year ago, Judy Gelman contacted me about contributing to her revised The Book Club Cookbook. We exchanged a few emails, and when she learned my book club had read – and lovedlovedloved – South of Broad, we were set. When it’s my chance to host, it’s a good bet that we will read something Southern, and Pat Conroy is my favorite author. Coincidently, I had recently read The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life for the monthly Kitchen Conservatory book club, so I thought it would be fun to cook from that as well. While my revised Pat Conroy gumbo recipe did not make it into the Judy’s book, she did include a nice quote about my book club, affectionately named Book Club Girls Club.

My book club has been together for over ten years, a group I started with some moms from Connor’s Montessori preschool, a neighbor, and a friend Connor introduced us to after starting up a conversation with her and her husband at a local Mexican restaurant (he was about seven at the time). We started out as a book club but have evolved into much more, thus, the “girls club” addition. We’ve been through a lot together, watching our kids grow up, health and job successes and challenges, and through it all, a lot of great food moments (and more than a few bottles of vino too). We allow our husbands to join us for a multi-course dinner around Christmas, which has always been a fun evening of fine dining.

(Apologizing in advance for the poor (scan) quality, couldn't figure out how to save the file as a .jpg!)

I would highly recommend Judy’s book, and more than just for recipes. Many of personal  favorites are highlighted, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Kite Runner, and The Red Tent. It’s a terrific reference for choosing books with an extensive list, from newer fiction (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Freedom ), to classics (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which was the first book the BCGC read, Anna Karenina, The Great Gatsby), and interesting titles that even the most well-read may not be familiar with – atleast me (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Mama Day). And then there are the recipes – fabulous. They wonderfully coordinate food with the theme of the book, and sometimes that means restaurant dining (one of our members would highly recommend this approach – NOT!). The “Novel Thoughts” sections present specific thoughts on the book from featured book clubs, which run the gamut of life:  women/moms like my book club, those that read a single author or only the classics or mysteries, men only (really, men read other than on vacation?), some clubs together for decades, but almost all have one thing in common: an escape from our real lives, and overall – just fun. Like ours, food is likely a powerful connector, not just of books but relationships and life.

Company's Coming Apple Cake and a Plug for a GREAT New Cookbook

Even though I’ve never seen the TV show, I am a huge fan of the Fabulous Beekman Boys, and Craig surprised me with the 1802 Heirloom Cookbook when it came out a few months ago. It is nothing short of fabulous (pun intended). And, yes, this is an unpaid endorsement for this cookbook! The photos of the food, the produce, and the farm are all gorgeous. It is laid out by season, the way I like to cook, and the recipes are authentic, homey, and easy to follow even for a novice, with interesting narratives about most recipes. Since I scribble all over my cookbooks, Josh and Brent provide space on every page for recipe notes. I like that. Visiting the farm is certainly on my bucket list.

I’m a bit reluctant to post yet-another less-than-light recipe because I do try to keep our diet healthy, but the apple cake is just too good not to praise. It’s made with simple ingredients you typically have on hand, other than perhaps apples, and it comes together quickly. Any kind of apple can be used, but the recipe cautions against Granny Smiths that tend to be too dry and McIntoshes, which get mushy. Rich-tasting, low-fat** buttermilk results in a tender crumb and more body. I used slightly less sugar and changed the ratio of whole wheat and all-purpose flours; with two sticks of butter, it was still melt-in-your mouth moist. I upped the cinnamon and nutmeg and added cloves and ground ginger, producing more of an apple SPICE cake, so your house will smell heavenly. The original recipe indicates it keeps several days at room temperature, assuming it lasts that long.

Company’s Coming Apple Cake

Original recipe from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook

(This recipe reflects the changes I made.)

Serves 12-16

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 C white whole wheat pastry flour
1 C all-purpose flour
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 t cloves

1/4 t ground ginger

1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 C buttermilk (mix 1 T lemon juice with enough skim milk to make 1 C and allow to thicken)

2 C diced, peeled apple, 1/2"-dice, about 2-3 apples

Streusel:
1/4 C light brown sugar, packed
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 t ground cinnamon
4 T butter, melted
1/2 C walnuts (original recipe indicates pecans as an option)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and line it with a layer of heavy-duty foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on each of the short ends. Butter the foil.

With a stand-mixer or hand-beaters, beat the butter until creamy, roughly 1 minute. Gradually beat in the two sugars until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together with a fork or small whisk. Set aside.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating after each addition just to incorporate. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Fold in the apples just until combined. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan; don’t overmix the batter

For the streusel:

Use a pastry blender or two knives, and mix together all of the ingredients except the nuts together until it is coarse crumbles. Add the nuts and scatter the topping over the coffee cake batter in an even layer.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a rack before serving. Lift it out of the pan using the foil overhang as handles.

Printable Recipe

Stuffed Barbequed Jalapeños - Show-Stopper' Appetizer

A friend from Austin, Texas gave us Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks a few months ago and warned us that most of the recipes are not “light”, but they reflect the way a rancher’s wife cooks. I’ve only made one thing, and it certainly justifies the purchase of the cookbook for that recipe alone, which was the barbequed stuffed jalapeños. They are a-may-zing. The slow, low-temp baking results in peppers cooked through without sogginess, luscious, creamy cheese that stays in the peppers, crispy bacon that lends the right saltiness, all caramelized with a brush of barbeque sauce. Be forewarned if you take these to a party, they get eaten very quickly. Very quickly. They’re addictive, and it’s hard to stop at one or two or five or six. You get the point. Snag a few just as you serve them, otherwise you may not get any. If this is how a rancher’s wife cook, sign me up.

They are easily prepared with the most time-consuming task removing the seeds and membrane. I used low-fat cream cheese, more green onions, and homemade beer barbeque sauce that is zippier than sweet, which I canned in the fall. Ree suggests a simplification of using only cream cheese as the stuffing, but the slight tang the extra sharp cheddar adds is a nice contract to the rather bland cream cheese and the green onions add color and texture. I’m thinking they could be prepared in advance up to smearing with barbeque sauce and frozen.

Stuffed Barbequed Jalapeños

Makes 36

18 fresh jalapeños

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, low fat is fine

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 green onion, sliced

18 slices thin bacon, cut into half lengthwise and width-wise

Barbecue sauce

Toothpicks

Rubber gloves (or plastic bags) for working with the jalapeños

Preheat the oven to 275°

Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise, keeping the stem in tact for a nicer presentation. Remove the seeds and membranes with a spoon. For more heat, you can leave some seeds.
In a bowl combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions. Mix gently. Stuff each half with the cream cheese mixture.

Wrap the bacon slices around each half, be careful not to stretch the bacon and wrap too tightly (it contracts when it cooks). Secure the jalapeños with toothpicks.

Brush the surface of the bacon with your favorite barbeque sauce. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for until the bacon is sizzling, about one hour and 15 minutes. I broiled them for a few minutes to get the bacon really crispy.

(The original recipe indicates chutney or apricot jelly works well and suggests baking on a rack, which I did not do).