Mussels In Chickpea And Cumin Batter Recipes

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, melt butter.
• Add the garlic and onion, stirring occasionally until onion is soft and fragrant - about 3 minutes.
• Turn heat up to high, add wine and bring to boil. Simmer 2 minutes until the harsh alcoholic smell is gone.
• Stir in tomatoes, add mussels stir to coat in sauce a bit.
• Cover, lower heat to medium high and cook, shaking pot once or twice.
• The mussels are cooked when they are open - around 6 to 8 minutes.
• Toss through parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt as the mussels are already salty, so taste first.
• Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and serve with lemon wedgeds on the side so people can use as much as they wish. Serve immediately with crusty bread to mop up the sauce!

MUSSELS IN GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Cream the butter with the garlic and parsley in a bowl and set aside.
• Place the mussels in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients, bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until the mussels open.
• Detach the lid from the base and place the mussels still sitting in their shells on a baking sheet.
• Dot generously with the garlic butter and grill until the butter has melted.
• Serve the mussles on their own or in the wine broth.

FRIED BEER-BATTERED MUSSELS WITH TWO SAUCES

Steps:

• Make sauces:
• Put 1/2 cup mayonnaise into each of 2 small serving bowls and whisk mustard into 1 bowl. Whisk cilantro, lime juice, and curry powder into other bowl. Season dipping sauces with salt and pepper and keep chilled, covered.
• Make batter and fry mussels:
• Whisk beer into flour in a bowl until combined well.
• Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until thermometer registers 375°F.
• While oil is heating, pat mussels dry between layers of paper towels, pressing lightly.
• Dredge 10 mussels in batter, letting excess drip off, and fry in oil, stirring, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mussels as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then season with salt. Fry remaining mussels in batches in same manner, returning oil to 375°F between batches.
• Serve mussels immediately, with dipping sauces.

MUSSELS WITH FARRO, CANNELLINI, AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Rinse the chickpeas, and place in a bowl with cold water covering them by 4 inches. Do the same with the cannellini, in a separate bowl. Soak both for 12 to 24 hours.
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and put them in the big saucepan with about 7 cups of fresh cold water. Set the pot over medium-high heat, and drop in the chopped carrot, celery, and onion, the halved cherry tomatoes, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, partially cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady, bubbling simmer. Stir occasionally.
• After the chickpeas have cooked for an hour, drain and rinse the cannellini and stir them into the pot. There should be at least an inch of liquid covering the beans; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring now and then.
• Rinse the farro grains in a sieve, and stir in with the beans, along with the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the peperoncino. There should be about 1/4 inch of liquid covering the beans and grain; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes or longer, until the beans and the farro are tender-add water if needed to keep the beans and grains barely covered with liquid as they finish cooking. When they are done, most of the surface water should have been absorbed or evaporated, but the stew should be slightly soupy.
• While the farro cooks, prepare the mussels. Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in the sauté pan, and scatter in the garlic cloves and remaining 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino. Cook for 3 minutes or so over medium-high heat, until the garlic is lightly colored, then add all the rinsed mussels at once. Tumble them around the pan quickly, to coat with oil, and put on the cover. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, shaking the covered pan a couple of times, just until the mussels are open, and take the pan off the stove.
• Shuck the mussels right over the pan, letting the juices and meat drop in. Discard the shells (and any mussels that did not open). If you like, leave a dozen or so mussels in the shell for a garnish.
• When the farro and beans are cooked, pour the shucked mussels and their juices into the pot and stir well-the consistency should be rather brothy. Heat to the boil, and cook for just a minute, to make sure everything is nice and hot. Taste, and adjust salt. Stir in the chopped parsley, and spoon portions into warm pasta bowls; garnish with unshucked mussels if you saved them. Drizzle good olive oil over each, and serve immediately.
• To prepare in advance: Cook the beans and farro until tender, following recipe, and remove from the heat. Let them sit in the saucepan up to 3 hours (they will absorb liquid and thicken). Shortly before serving, cook and shuck the mussels. Stir the mussel juices into the beans and farro, and heat slowly to a simmer. Stir in the mussels, and finish as above.