We recently had some friends over for an early dinner, and I was imagining a warm, breezy summer late afternoon meal with friends. Never mind that the forecast was for 90° weather at 6 p.m. An appetizer spread where everyone could take what and how much they want was the perfect meal for this hot weather we’ve been having.
I was inspired by a trip we took to Puglia, Italy, back in 2012 when we stayed at an agriturismo farm hotel, Torre dei Preti. We had quite an amazing food experience where every night, in the common dining room, they had a spread of 20-30 plates and trays of appetizers made fresh daily with local farm ingredients. This area of Italy is known for its fruits and vegetables and seafood, so it’s everywhere on tables. Meat, on the other hand, is somewhat unusual because the soil is so rocky that pastures are hard to plow and maintain.
It was this kind of breezy afternoon meal I thought would be perfect. We ate stuffed mussels several times while in Puglia. So that was my anchor. I also served stuffed squid using the same filling as the mussels, plus Caprese salad, pickled grilled vegetables (Verdure in Scapece), tuna crudo, and some toasted bread with some good-quality olive oil drizzled on top while hot. I finished the meal with linguine with clams and a ricotta lemon cake with fresh peaches.
Even the hot weather couldn’t ruin the inspiration for this Italian-inspired meal. Summer will be over before we know it, and we’ll be cursing the end of daylight savings time. So now is the time to find some nice, big, fresh mussels and pair them with your other favorite summertime foods.
Cozze gratinate (Stuffed Mussels)
Description
Stuffed mussels are a quick appetizer for a summer party that don’t warm up the whole kitchen. Select larger mussels if available. Serve this dish right after grilling or at room temperature. You can prepare a pan of mussels earlier in the day and refrigerate until ready to broil.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs black mussels, beards removed and rinsed (select larger mussels)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- Zest from ½ lemon, reserve lemon half for juicing
- 1–2 tbsp minced parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt/pepper
Instructions
- In a frying pan or big pot with a lid, place the mussels in roughly one layer. Cover and heat to medium. Cook until the mussels have opened, shaking the pan a few times (about 5 mins). Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
- Remove the mussels to a strainer placed over a bowl. Remove the mussels from the shells, setting the mussel meat and shells into a different bowl. Strain the juices left in the frying pan and the bowl through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a measuring cup. (Alternatively, place the juices in a measuring cup and carefully pour into another cup, leaving the grit and bits behind).
- In a separate bowl, prepare the stuffing. Whisk together the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. Add equal parts extra virgin olive oil and mussel broth until the mixture comes together (breadcrumbs squeeze together). Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare a shallow oven-safe pan or sheet pan by covering it with foil. Working over the bowl of stuffing, stuff the mussels by placing one mussel into one half shell and cover with stuffing, gently pressing into place. Place onto the prepared dish and continue to stuff the mussels until you’ve used up all the mussels. Discard the remaining half shells.
- Broil the mussels for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them to avoid burning. Remove from the oven and squeeze lemon over the mussels.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.