Monday, December 12, 2011

Mussel and White Bean Stew

This dish falls squarely within that category of recipes that are so simple, every ingredient really matters. It's a quick dish too. You do have to pick the mussels from the shells after they're cooked and opened, but even that step only takes a few minutes. This came from last October's issue of Food and Wine, and the total time for making this is noted as 30 minutes. I think it might have been less than that. So, about those ingredients. The mussels, of course, need to be as fresh as can be. They get steamed in some white wine, and then that broth is strained and added back to the stew, which means you'll want to use a wine you really like. Then, a good amount of olive oil is used for cooking some garlic and chopped chiles to begin the stew. I was lucky to have just received some olive oil samples from Nudo which is the company known for its Adopt-An-Olive-Tree program in Italy. I received two gift sets. One included three different olive oils, and the other included basil oil and a container with seeds for growing your own basil. I used the plain extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing the garlic and chiles, and I drizzled a little of the extra virgin olive oil with chilies over the stew for serving.

The cooking time is so short, you definitely want to have everything prepped and ready before you start. I let the mussels sit in a big bowl of water with a little flour while I minced the garlic and chopped the chiles. The mussels were rinsed and drained and checked to be sure none were open. Then, they went into a big skillet with white wine and cooked until opened which was about three minutes. The mussels were removed to a plate, and the wine was strained into a bowl and reserved. The mussels were picked from the shells, and the shells were discarded. Next, extra virgin olive oil was warmed in the skillet, and the garlic and finely chopped chiles were sauteed. Rinsed and drained white beans were added followed by the reserved wine. That was brought to a boil and seasoned. Last, the mussels were added with some chopped homegrown parsley.

This is perfect on a cool, fall day, but for a stew, this one isn't too heavy. A thick slice of bread or two is a good accompaniment, and the drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with chilies was a fitting garnish. For such a simple stew, the flavors were anything but after starting with great ingredients.



27 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of mussels (it's a texture thing), but this is still a beautiful-looking dish. Pretty enough to make me wonder, "Well, really, mussels aren't so bad, are they?" =)

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  2. This looks so beautiful and appetizing! I simply adore the any bean dishes.

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  3. A scrummy stew! That combo is terrific.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. I like mussels for the quick cooking time too. This looks like a hearty and warming stew.

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  5. YES! this looks awesome, i love mussels like this! great idea, i think im going to suggest it for a christmas eve dinner? :)

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  6. Lisa,
    I never make mussels at home, and not sure why, because I love them!. This is a must do!

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  7. Oh, this is all sorts of wonderful! There are no cool fall days here but that won't stop me from wanting to try this out. 8-D

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  8. I would love nothing more than to dive into that bowl with a crusty french baguette!

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  9. I've been looking for some recipes that use mussels in different ways; I can't wait to try this one. I adore white beans stew. I love that you add the liquid back into the stew. There's so much flavor there that it would be a shame not to use it. Thank you for sharing this!

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  10. Lisa, You are kinda blowing my mind with this stew. I love mussels and I love white beans and never have tasted them in combo. Plus the fact that this is so quick to make... I'm in:)
    -E

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  11. Fun to experiment with different olive oils, Lisa. And this recipe looks like a beaut. Truly an unusual combination. Not only delicious, but healthy. Mussels are divine...I adore them.

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  12. Ummm. that looks really delicious. Those flavor combinations would surely work for me.

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  13. Would you believe I've never cooked mussels? I love them, but for some reason I'm afraid to cook them and ruin them. I gotta work on this handicap next year, maybe as a New Year Resolution... ;-)

    Very nice recipe, Lisa... wish I had a bowl right in front of me now

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  14. that's some pretty fierce-looking broth, lisa! while i don't dig mussels, the beans are always a draw. nice, hearty bowl of stew!

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  15. This look great, and very tasty too, YUMMM!:)

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  16. Oh boy..they look so edibly scrumptious.

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  17. Hey Lisa! That stew looks scrumptious!
    Thanks for stopping by.. Hope to see you again soon :)

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  18. With all the holiday sweets, your post is a welcome change! What a unique, amazing stew!!! It would be perfect on Christmas Eve...thanks for sharing, Lisa!

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  19. I got my parents a nudo tree for christmas last year and we had an olive oil taste testing with all those flavored ones on Thanksgiving! LOVE them. i bet they were awesome in this stew!

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  20. Mussels?!..what a great stew combo!
    Your pictures really capture all the flavor..It makes me want to sit by the window, in a quaint diner overlooking the ocean on the east coast :)

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  21. This stew sounds delicious right about now. I know we need the rain but I'm over all this gloom. Mussels are always a favorite and combined with white beans and that amazing sounding broth, I'm sure this dish was a winner.

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  22. Oooh, Lisa, I am so making! LOVE mussels - and we get beautiful fresh mussels all the time! And canned white beans, nothing easier or better. A stunning recipe!

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  23. Oh I just have this feeling that this dish can be so addictive, esp when you have removed the mussels meat from the shells and I can continuously just scoop the goodness and send myself to savory delight.

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  24. You can't go wrong with mussels + beans. Gorgeous! Happy holidays, Lisa!

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  25. I'm having a hard time finding fresh mussels ... do you think smoked mussels might work too?

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  26. Anonymous: I think smoked mussels would be great. Obviously, you won't have too cook them, and so you won't have the cooking broth as you would with fresh mussels. But, you could just add some wine after sauteeing the chiles and garlic and then add the smoked mussels. Sounds great!

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