Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Mussels in a white wine cream sauce (with or without linguine)

Ingredients:

2 lbs mussels

1 bottle of white wine

2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on taste), finely sliced

2 medium to large sized shallots, finely sliced

3 scallions, finely sliced on a bias (white part and green part) Optional

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 5 or 6 “pats”

¾ cup of heavy or light cream

Salt and pepper

1 lb of linguine (optional)

This is a dish that can go either way. For brunch, I like to prepare this without the linguine and serve instead with a large crusty Italian bread or French baguette. As a dinner dish, I still tend to serve with some crusty bread and the pasta adds that substantial-ness one expects at a large dinner party. This recipe serves 2-4 people depending on their appetites, and what other dishes are being served.

A word about the white wine: I prefer to use a domestic Gewürztraminer or Riesling. They tend to be fruity, well balanced and just as tasty as the imports, without the hefty price tag. Don’t be afraid to experiment here. I find that either of these wines, when young, have sweetness which accentuates the cream and shallots in the recipe and fruitiness that brings out the muskiness of the mussels. But, find something that you like. I really enjoy the Rieslings and Gewürztraminers from the North Fork of Long Island and the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. If you prefer a Chardonnay, I suggest that you find a young one with lots of fruit and a little sweetness. In this recipe I try to avoid the super dry older white wines.

Mussels are delicious, easy to find and inexpensive. They’re also very easy to deal with. When you get them home, cook them immediately or put them into an uncovered bowl in the fridge. Never leave them in the plastic bag the fish market gives them to you in! They will go bad (die, yes they’re alive)! When preparing them, inspect them closely. Remove their beards (an almost furry thing protruding from them) by tugging them off. If the shell is broken, toss it. If they’re closed they’re good. If a few are open, don’t panic. Just touch them! If when you touch them they don’t instantly close, pinch it closed and see if it closes. If it refuses to close or rather stay closed on its own after that, toss it. Better to be safe than sorry. After cooking, if a mussel hasn’t opened, again…discard!

On with the show!

Heat a large pot with a lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Before the butter has completely melted into the oil, add the shallots and the whites of the scallions. Add salt and pepper immediately and stir them in the pan frequently. When they become translucent, add half of the greens of the scallions. I like the scallions. They add a bite that cuts through that I love. you can leave them out or use chives instead. Cook for about a minute then turn the heat all the way up. Be very careful not to let the mixture burn. Add the garlic and cook until it turns slightly golden. Don’t overcook the garlic! Add the mussels. Shake it as you let it cook over high heat for a minute or so. Add half the bottle of wine and cover. The rest of the bottle is for you to enjoy! It shouldn’t take more then a few minutes for the mussels to steam open. When they’ve opened, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a decorative serving bowl. Cover them with aluminum foil temporarily, so that they keep they’re temperature. Over high heat, let the cooking liquid reduce by a third or so, about 5-7 minutes. Then add the cream. Whisk the cream and the cooking liquid together and lower the heat to medium high. Continue to reduce until it coats the back of a spoon well. Taste it! Does it need salt? Pepper? Add to taste. Pour sauce over mussels in the serving bowl and garnish with the remaining scallion greens. Serve with crusty bread and a bowl to discard shells in.

With linguine: Preparation is pretty much the same except that you boil some linguine. When the sauce is thickened and seasoned, add al dente linguine. Cook in sauce for a minute and then turn off heat. Add mussels back into pot with sauce and pasta. Mix thoroughly and place back into the large serving bowl. Garnish with remaining scallion greens. Serve with or without crusty bread and a bowl for shells.

Remember to experiment a little. You may like less cream; you may like more cream. You may decide you hate mussels. You may wonder why you’ve come to A blog for recipes! Let it go. Life is too short and this dish is delicious.   

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

Penne alla Vodka, Smoked al Telefono

Ingredients:

1 large can of whole tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 fresh basil leaves, whole

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 lb of penne

½ cup of heavy or light cream

1 shot of vodka (optional)

1 fresh smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

¼-½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2-4 thick slices of pancetta sliced into ¼” squares

Salt and pepper


This is a dish I made for the boys in the band around late September-early October 2002. It has stayed in the rotation for years. We were laying basic tracks on what is now The Swinger Eight EP. It had been a long day and the weather had become chilly. Not cold, but a bit nippy considering it had just been summer. I had all this stuff lying around so I whipped this dish up to fill our aching stomachs. When I said I’d like a recipe page on the website, they all agreed that this one must be on it. It can get a bit heavy because it is primarily a dairy and carbohydrate dish, but on those early fall nights, especially the cooler ones, this dish can be warming, comforting and a perfect blend of sophistication and down home Italian American cooking. Most Italian restaurants and pizza joints make Penne alla Vodka and I’ve always liked it, but in this version I’ve stolen the Italian idea of a dish “al Telefono”. In Italy, when the telephone was introduced, the phone cords reminded them of the strings that melted mozzarella make when served, especially in dishes like this.

A few words about pancetta, smoked mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and vodka: Pancetta is an Italian bacon, cut from the same area as American bacon. It is rolled and then cured like American bacon, but unlike American bacon it is not smoked. If you know an Italian butcher, ask him for it. If you can’t find pancetta, I would recommend you go with a good slab bacon, and have it sliced thickly. Try to avoid wet, over salted supermarket bacon. Fresh smoked mozzarella has the same creaminess as regular fresh mozzarella and is a must for this recipe. If you can’t find smoked mozzarella, you can use fresh but try to avoid using Polly-o or one of the other hard, processed mozzarellas out there. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real Italian version of what is called Parmesan cheese here. There really is no substitute…but if you have to, use one that tastes good! Most of the bottles labeled Parmesan cheese are so processed and so cheaply made that they often use sawdust as filler! Go to a good deli counter and get a Romano or a Locatelli that has been freshly grated. I say that the vodka is optional because I have made it with and with out, and though there is a difference, it is not a huge difference. The alcohol in the vodka basically accesses a certain flavor component in the tomato, activating some of the more viney, herbal flavors. So if you’re feeling a bit daring and you have some vodka, go for it!

The first part of this recipe involves making an easy (and quick!) and authentic marinara sauce. I’ve seen many people pull their hair out try to make good tomato sauces and time and time again, their biggest problem has been doing too much. Most Italian tomato sauces are quick cooks; you can cook them in thirty minutes or so and they involve the use of no more then 4 or 5 ingredients. Knowing how to make a good marinara sauce is the first step in unlocking a myriad of dishes. For wine with this dish I would go with a very young red that’s fruity and not overly acidic. This is not a good dish for a big wine like a Cabernet or Chianti. I tried a merlot with this dish once and was very pleasantly surprised but make sure it’s a young one. Rose or blush wines are considered by some to be inferior but most of these make good dinner wines. Any one that you like would go very nicely.

On with the show!

Heat a medium pot or saucepan over medium high heat. When it is hot, add the olive oil. If it begins to smoke, pull it off the heat, count to twenty and then continue. Add the garlic and cook until it turns slightly golden. This shouldn’t take very long so have the can of tomatoes opened already. Don’t overcook the garlic! Add the puree from the can of tomatoes and then use your hands to slightly mash the individual whole tomatoes. Once the contents of the can are in, stir the sauce well and allow it to come to a mild boil. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper now. Reduce the heat to a very low flame. Simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes; adding the whole fresh basil leaves about half way through. Taste it! Does it need salt and pepper?

Once the sauce has simmered for 25 to 30 minutes and you’ve adjusted the seasoning, you’re done. Well you’re not done, but you’ve made marinara sauce. In another pan, heat the butter until it has almost entirely melted, then add the pancetta. Cook for a few minutes until it becomes lightly browned, but has not become crispy! Pour about half of the sauce into an airtight container. Put it in the fridge. You will have left over sauce so now you have some good sauce for later in the week. Add the pancetta mixture into the remaining sauce. Add half of the shot of vodka now if you want. Drink the other half. Turn the heat to medium. If you put the vodka in, cook it for two minutes. Whisk the cream in and cook until sauce thickens. This should take 3-5 minutes, but may take longer. You don’t want to have a watery consistency, so wait. When the pasta is cooked (it must be very al dente), put it into a strainer. In the pot you boiled the pasta in, add a few large spoonfuls of sauce (enough to cover the bottom). Now add the pasta back into the pot and add the rest of the sauce. Place over medium low heat and add the sliced mozzarella and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook for a minute or two until the mozzarella is just melted. Serve with some crusty bread.

Remember to experiment a little. You may like less cream; you may like more cream. You may decide you hate pancetta or smoked mozzarella. You may wonder why you’ve come to a blog for recipes! Don't ask why. Just quiet that internal voice of doubt and make this dish.