Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen_ An Indesp - Tyler Florence [34]
Serves 4 to 6
3 pounds mussels
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, diced
2 bay leaves
Pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ cup dry vermouth
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup Chicken Stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells. Heat a 2-count drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, tomato, and bay leaves until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the “saffron tea,” red pepper flakes, and curry. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the vermouth, lemon juice, and chicken stock; cover the pot and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mussels to a warm serving bowl and cover. Pick out the bay leaves. If some of the pieces of vegetables are nestled in the shells, don’t sweat it. The sauce itself is a snap. Add the butter to the pot of mussel broth and buzz it down with a handheld blender (you can also transfer it to a regular blender or food processor). What you want is a smooth, yellow sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the mussels and shower with parsley before serving. Impressive and uncomplicated.
Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Peas
Risotto with
Wild Mushrooms and Peas
1½ hours
This is a great dish to serve on Sunday night when The Sopranos come on. It’s classy and understated. A good way to add more intense mushroom flavor is to throw the mushroom stems in with the chicken stock. Just be sure to brush the mushroom stems first for any loose dirt.
Serves 6 to 8
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as Portobello, crimini, and chanterelle, stems removed, sliced
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
8 cups Chicken Stock, heated
1 cup frozen sweet peas, run under cool water to thaw
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and drizzle with a 3-count of oil. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until soft. Toss in the mushrooms and herbs; cook down until the mushrooms lose their liquid and are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two, until the grains are well coated and opaque. Season again; seasoning in stages makes the rice taste good from the inside out. Stir in the wine and cook a minute to evaporate the alcohol. Pour in 1 cup of the warm stock. Stir with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all the liquid; then add another cup. Keep stirring while adding the stock a cup at a time, allowing the rice to drink it in before adding more. You may not need all the stock. Taste the risotto. It should be slightly firm but creamy—definitely not mushy, but not raw either. Fold in the peas, butter, and Parmigiano cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley to finish the dish up. Risotto doesn’t like to sit around, so serve it immediately.
New England Clam Chowder
1 hour
Good clam chowder starts with really good, fresh clams. It’s easy to find them if you live on the coast, but even if you’re landlocked in Ohio, you can ask the guy in the seafood department to order them. I use both cherrystones, which are large and meaty, plus smaller