Mussels and Summer Squash Escabeche: Chef Rachel Weiner
Executive Chef Rachel Weiner of The Farmhouse at The Ojai Valley Inn joins Farmer Lee Jones at The Chef’s Garden to celebrate summer squash at its peak. She’s mixing summer […]
Ingredients
For the mussels:
1 lb (900g) fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 cup dry white wine (e.g., Albariño preferred)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
EVO
For the Escabeche:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, shaved on mandolin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
1/3 sherry vinegar
1/2 cup mussel cooking liquid (strained)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley and tarragon
Fresh lemon juice
Directions
For the Mussels:
- Sweat garlic in EVO till fragrant, add white wine and bring to a simmer, add bay leaf and mussels.
- Cover and steam till mussels just open. Remove mussels from shell and set aside.
- Reserve liquid.
For the Escabeche:
- Heat oil in a wide skillet and onion and garlic and sweat, add carrot and cook till tender.
- Add remaining spices (dry only) and cook till very aromatic.
- Add vinegar and reserved mussel liquid and gently simmer for 2 mins. Remove from heat and chill
Let the liquid 100 F and separate into 2 bowls, then mix in reserved mussels in one, and all variety of summer squash in the other. - Reserve and cool for 2-3 hours.
To serve:
- Lightly smoke the mussels on kombu over burnt herb stems and serve slightly warm.
- Bring the marinated squash to room temperature.
- Plate with plenty of liquid and garnish in a shallow bowl with lots of fresh picked herbs and torn squash blossoms
- Herbs: mixed basil, coriander blooms, squash blossoms, shaved raw yellow and green squash
- Serve with grilled sourdough and salted butter
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