The Minimalist Cooks Dinner (12 page)
Read The Minimalist Cooks Dinner Online
Authors: Mark Bittman
Mussels
TIME:
30 minutes
MAKES:
2 servings
Many years ago in Barcelona, I saw mussels and clams cooked
a la plancha
—on a thick slab of hot metal much like the griddles used by short-order cooks. The technique is common in Spain, and indeed throughout the Mediterranean. Though the mollusks are usually served unadorned, they’re filled with their own flavors as well as a certain smokiness contributed by their juices, which burn on the hot surface. This smokiness sometimes makes people think that mussels cooked this way are cooked over wood, but that is not the case, nor is it necessary. San Francisco chef Reed Hearon devised this method of achieving the same results in an ordinary cast-iron skillet, and it works beautifully.
1½ pounds mussels, washed and debearded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a large cast-iron or heavy steel skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until a few drops of water dance across the surface. Add the mussels to the skillet, in one layer (your pan may fit more or less than 1½ pounds; use as many as will fit comfortably).
Cook, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels begin to open. The mussels are done when they’re all open and their juices have run out and evaporated in the hot pan, probably less than 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately in the pan.
| WINE | A chilled rosé from southern France or California or a crisp white like Muscadet |
| SERVE WITH | Serve this before or after pasta like Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula or Pasta with Cauliflower ; Simple Green Salad |
FARMED MUSSELS
are almost always cleaner than wild mussels and will require no more than a quick rinse and removal of the “beard,” the weedy growth attached to the bottom of the shell. Discard any with broken shells, those whose shells remain open after tapping them lightly, and those that seem unusually heavy—chances are they’re filled with mud. As long as you do this, any mussels that don’t open fully during cooking are still safe to eat; just pry apart their shells with a knife.
THE SKILLET
should be hot but not white; when a few drops of water dance across its surface, it’s ready.
IT’S BEST TO
serve the mussels in the same skillet in which they were cooked. To eat, remove a mussel from the shell and dredge it in the dried juices of the pan.
Black Skillet Clams or Oysters:
This dish can be made with hardshell clams—littlenecks, cherrystones, or quahogs—or with oysters. (Softshell clams, or steamers, are too sandy for this treatment.) Make sure to wash the shells of any of these mollusks very well, and discard any whose shells are open or cracked. As with the mussels, they are done when their shells open.
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Gently melt ¼ cup (½ stick) butter in a small saucepan. (If you like, add Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste, along with the juice of a lemon.) Serve the mussels with a small bowl of the butter. To eat, remove a mussel from its shell; dip into the butter, then rub up some of the dried juices from the bottom of the skillet.
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When the mussels begin to open, add 4 crushed garlic cloves to the pan, shaking the pan as above.
Mussels, Provence Style
TIME:
30 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
In a café in southern France more than twenty years ago, I sat in a bistro and timidly prepared to order salade Niçoise. Just then, a huge bowl of steaming, powerfully fragrant mussels was delivered to a man sitting at the table next to me, and I impulsively changed my order. The hot mussels were essentially tossed with fennel and fennel seeds, which I could see, but the licorice bouquet and indeed flavor were far stronger than that combination alone could provide. Later, I realized that there was a secret ingredient: anise liqueur, either Pernod or Ricard. The combination is an alluring one.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 fennel bulb (about 1 pound), trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
½ cup Pernod or Ricard (or 4 pieces star anise)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; drain them first), optional
1 sprig tarragon, optional
At least 4 pounds large mussels, well washed
Pour the oil into a large pot, turn the heat to medium, and heat for a minute. Add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, tomatoes, and tarragon, if you like. Bring to a boil, cook for about a minute, add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.
Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.
| WINE | White, crisp, and cold-Muscadet, an inexpensive Italian white, or a good Sauvignon Blanc |
| SERVE WITH | 60-Minute Bread or good store-bought bread; Simple Green Salad |
FRESH FENNEL
is an especially good addition because you can add it in large enough quantity so that it becomes an essential component of the dish, not only for flavor but as a vegetable to round things out.
EVERY YEAR
, we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel-farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going-over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are tastier, but harder to clean. For cleaning instructions.
Anise-Steamed Mussels, Asian Style:
Combine the mussels in a cold pot with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 star anise, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook until mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Toss, if possible, with about ½ cup torn Thai basil leaves (or use regular basil, chives, mint, or cilantro).
Plain Steamed Mussels:
The procedure is the same, but omit all ingredients except mussels, oil, and garlic. These are great with a little melted butter (laced with minced garlic, if you like), drizzled over them when they’re done.
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There are many, many herbs, spices, vegetables, and other seasonings that can lend a licorice flavor, including aniseeds or ground anise, five-spice powder, ouzo or raki (the anise-scented liqueurs of the eastern Mediterranean), and tarragon, chervil, even basil—especially Thai basil. (You could probably throw in a few pieces of Good ‘n Plenty while you’re at it.)
Crabcakes
TIME:
1 hour
MAKES:
4 servings
Somehow crabcakes have become an emblematic dish, as in “this restaurant has the best crabcakes.” But since crab has the best texture and subtlest flavor of all of the crustaceans, the best crabcakes are those that showcase the crab most fully. And this means that getting the most out of crabcakes often means putting the least into them. When you start loading crabcakes up with white bread, corn, curry, and complicated sauces, you might be making them different, but you’re not making them better.
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour, plus flour for dredging
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
Lemon wedges
Gently combine the crabmeat, egg, mustard, if using, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour. Cover and put in the freezer for 5 minutes. Shape the mixture into four hamburger-shaped patties. Line a plate with plastic wrap and put the crabcakes on it. Cover with more plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (longer—up to a day—if you like) or freeze for 15 minutes.
Put the flour for dredging in a bowl. Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot, gently dredge one of the crabcakes in the flour. Gently tap off the excess flour and add the crabcake to the pan; repeat with the remaining crabcakes, then turn the heat to medium-high.
Cook, rotating the cakes in the pan as necessary to brown the first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, which will take slightly less time. Serve hot, with lemon wedges.
| WINE | A lesser Cabernet or Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, or lighter wine from southern France |
| SERVE WITH | Simple Green Salad or salad with whatever sauce you are serving with the crabcakes (thinned a bit, if necessary, to use as salad dressing), or Tomato Salad with Basil |
START WITH
picked lump or claw crabmeat, the biggest pieces from the body or claw. Mix gently so that some pieces retain their form, giving the crabcake a variety of textures.
PICKED CRABMEAT
freezes fairly well; if you’re unable to cook it immediately throw it in the freezer for a few days. The quality of the thawed meat, at least when the crab is used in crabcakes, is nearly perfect.
IT’S BEST
to chill the mix before shaping but, more important, it’s essential to chill it for a half-hour or so (longer is even better) before cooking it. When cold, the cakes will hold together through cooking and, once the egg does its work, they will retain their shape—barely—until attacked with a fork.
Crabby Crabcakes with Tartar Sauce:
Combine 1 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade) with ¼ cup minced cornichons or other pickles, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, and horseradish to taste. Serve with the crabcakes.
Crabby Crabcakes with Aioli:
Combine 1 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade) with 1 teaspoon finely minced raw garlic and a pinch saffron. Let rest for an hour or so before serving with crabcakes.
Crunchier Crabcakes:
Add ½ cup or so of minced bell pepper (a combination of colors is nice) and/or some minced shallots or onions to the crabcake mix.
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In place of the olive oil, use ¼ cup (½ stick) butter mixed with 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Heat until the butter foam subsides and then cook as above.
and Grapefruit Salad
TIME:
30 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
