Cozze Piccanti Fredde Recipes

COZZE AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until the prosciutto is crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and toss in the oil to coat. Stir in the parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
• Meanwhile, for the mussels: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels and white wine. Cover and give the pot a shake. Cook, shaking occasionally, until the mussels have just opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
• Position a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the broiler to high.
• Discard the top shells of the mussels and loosen the mussel meat from the bottom shell. Leave the meat in the shell and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a small spoon, pack the filling in each of the mussel shells. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Broil until the filling is golden and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

COZZE PICCANTI FREDDE

Steps:

• In a large pot over a lively flame, bring the wine to a simmer and add the mussels, poaching them, and removing them to a large bowl as they open. When all the mussels have opened, reduce the cooking liquor to 3/4 cup and set it aside. When the mussels are cool enough to handle, remove the flesh from the shells to a holding plate. Discard the shells.
• In a very large sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the olive oil and soften the garlic, taking care not to color it. Rinse the anchovies. Remove the anchovies' heads and bones, dry on paper towels, and crush lightly with a fork. Add the anchovies and the chile, tossing them about in the oil for a minute or two before adding the mussels, the reduced cooking liquor, and the vinegar. Permit the mussels to simmer gently for a minute or two. Set the mussels aside to cool.
• When the mussels have cooled, transfer them to a large bowl, cover them tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Toss with the parsley and present the mussels as an antipasto or a main dish with olive-oil-oven-toasted bread and cold white wine.
• These two recipes (page 75) from Napoli's cucina povera are ministrations for the dispirited, dishes to stay the ogres. Conjured from almost nothing, yet giving forth perfumes of security and nostalgia, they promise comfort, they stimulate, revive, as might the flump of a cork being slipped from its bottle or a kiss, hung softly and low on the nape of the neck.