BLACK BEANS WITH TOMATOES & MUSSELS

SERVES 4

THIS BASIC RECIPE for cooking dried beans is worth doubling because you can do so many things with the cooked beans. On Day 1, serve them with some grilled bread; Day 2, add more water or stock and blend to make a soup; Day 3, add seasonings such as red pepper flakes or ground cumin and serve on fish or as a dip for vegetables. When you add mussels to the cooked beans, along with their cooking liquid and tomatoes, you’re giving the beans new layers of complex flavor. The beans and mussels become a real meal in a bowl.

1½ cups dried black beans, soaked overnight in water, drained, and rinsed

1½ tablespoons minced garlic

1 carrot, diced

½ onion, minced

1 sprig flat-leaf parsley

2 (2-inch) sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 cup dry white wine

2 pounds mussels, cleaned

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño

4 tomatoes, diced

Pinch smoked paprika

Olive oil for drizzling

Combine the beans, ½ tablespoon of the garlic, carrots, onions, parsley, a rosemary sprig, and a thyme sprig in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 to 3 inches, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 20 minutes more. Drain, saving about 1½ cups of liquid, and discard the herb sprigs. If you’re not using the beans right away, cool them in their liquid, which will make them even more flavorful, then refrigerate. They’ll keep in the liquid for up to 3 days.

Steam the mussels. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add ½ tablespoon of the garlic and a tablespoon of the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Raise the heat to high, pour in the wine and a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover, and steam for about 3 minutes, shaking the pot to open the mussels. Transfer the open mussels to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the mussel broth in the pot. Simmer until it reduces to about ⅓ cup and then set aside. Meanwhile, pull most of the mussels from their shells, discarding those that have not opened and reserving a few for serving.

Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and shallots and cook until almost softened, about 2 minutes. Add the jalapeño and cook about a minute more. Add the tomatoes, smoked paprika, remaining rosemary sprig, and the leaves picked from the remaining thyme sprig. Add salt and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened but still hold their shape and the liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the reduced mussel liquid and simmer for a couple more minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig, then add the mussels, beans, and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid. Add more liquid if you like it soupier. Serve in bowls and drizzle with olive oil.

Sweating It

My goal is to make this book easy to follow, so I consciously avoid professional jargon, but some words are so intrinsic to the way I cook that I must include them. Take the concept of sweating. Nothing is more important as a way to build flavor into your cooking. Sweating means cooking vegetables such as onions, garlic, celery, or carrots in a little fat over medium heat until they are soft, without browning or adding other liquids. Sweating is the first step to making any complex sauce, soup, braise—so many recipes. It ensures that all the flavor is there at the beginning. Okay. Now that we’ve established that, I’m using this term throughout the book!