Mussels With Chorizo Beans Cavolo Nero Recipes

Steps:

• Working, 1 at a time, scrub any grit from shells under running water. Discard open mussels that do not close with a few taps of the finger and any with cracked shells. Put the mussels in a bowl of cold water.
• Heat the oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the chorizo into chunks, so it resembles ground beef. Saute until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove chorizo to a bowl. In the same pot, add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute 3 minutes to sweat. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Pull the mussels from bowl and transfer them and the water to the pot, do not strain, leaving behind any sand and grit that has sunk to the bottom. Stir to coat. Add the chorizo back into the pot and cover. Cook over medium heat until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In large, deep sauté pan or casserole (5 quarts or larger), warm olive oil over medium heat and add chorizo, garlic and leek. Sauté until leek is transparent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add mussels, thyme, oregano and tomatoes. Stir well.
• Add wine and stock to sauté pan. Cover, and cook over medium heat until the mussels open, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover pan, and simmer for a few minutes to reduce liquid by half. Add butter, and stir quickly with a fork to emulsify it into the sauce.
• Transfer contents of pan to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and crushed peppercorns, and salt to taste. Serve with thick slices of toasted garlic bread.

Steps:

• Heat oil and chorizo in a large pot over medium, stirring, until chorizo starts to crisp, about 4 minutes. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, and beans; bring to a simmer.
• Add mussels. Cover and continue to cook, shaking pot occasionally, until mussels open, 6 to 8 minutes (discard any unopened ones). Season broth to taste. Sprinkle with parsley, toss, and serve.

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a large pot that can later be covered, and turn the heat to medium. Cook the onion and chorizo, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
• Put the mussels in the pot; cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until mussels open, about 10 minutes. If they have not generated enough broth for you, add the wine and cook, uncovered, another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Steps:

• Blanch the cavolo nero in heavily salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, let cool, and squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Cut the greens into 1-inch ribbons.
• Heat a very large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Pour in the 1/2 cup olive oil and wait a minute. Add the onion, fennel, garlic, crumbled chiles, rosemary, and thyme to the pan. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and lots of pepper. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion starts to wilt. Add the greens, and stir them to coat with the oil and onions. Cook about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and tender and the greens start to break down.
• Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Add the beans to the vegetables, and cook a minute or two. Turn the heat up to high and add the clams. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the mussels, and stir well to combine. Pour in the vermouth and cover the pan. Let the shellfish steam a few minutes, until they open. Remove the lid and add 1 cup of the bean-cooking liquid. If the dish doesn't seem brothy enough, add a little more. Bring to a boil, stirring well to combine the flavors, and swirl in the butter. Taste for seasoning.
• Serve in a large shallow bowl with a large serving spoon. Pass the super-good extra-virgin olive oil and hunks of crusty bread at the table. Remember to provide small bowls for shells.
• Cannellini Beans
• Toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they release their aroma and are golden brown. Pound the fennel seeds coarsely in a mortar.
• Heat a medium pot over high heat for 2 minutes. Pour in the olive oil, and add the rosemary sprig and the crumbled chile. Let them sizzle in the oil about 1 minute. Add the onion, thyme, and fennel seeds, and sauté about 2 minutes, until the onion is wilted.
• Add the beans to the pan and cook another minute, stirring to coat well. Cover with water by 3 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low, and place a paper towel over the beans to keep them underwater. Simmer, stirring once in a while. After 30 minutes, add the salt to the beans, and continue cooking at a low simmer until the beans are tender, about an hour. Remove the beans from the heat, and let them cool in their juices. As the beans cook, add water as necessary, but not too much. You want the bean liquid to be rich and a little starchy, because it will be an important part of the finished broth.
• Note
• I like to use a wide pan, ideally 14 inches across, as opposed to a deep pan for this dish. That way all of the shellfish get coated and cook evenly. With a deeper pot, it's difficult to stir, and inevitably some of the mussels and clams end up on the top, brothless and dried out. If you don't have a lid for that wide pan, use a piece of tinfoil or two to fake a lid for steaming. And if you don't have a really wide pan, use two of your widest pans and split the recipe between them.
• You can make the beans the day before.