Consuming Consciousness

For such a rich-tasting dish, this has surprisingly few calories and packs a huge protein-wallop. It’s also a one-pot meal, very quick to assemble, and relatively inexpensive for a seafood dish.

Though I love fresh mussels, they’re hard to come by in many U.S. supermarkets, and I rarely have time to wrestle with bearding the beasts before even beginning to get around to preparing dinner. Lately, though, I’ve been finding large bags of frozen, pre-cooked mussels in my local Turkish and Asian markets in Berlin. My guess is that they’re also available in the States. Here they’re quite cheap, and I can feed four people very well for under 10 Euros. I love how easy they are to use — they’re already clean and simply need to be heated through.

Mussels have a powerful flavor and need to be countered by other strong but complementary tastes. In this dish I use a combination of garlic, shallots, chilis and hot peppers and balance it with white wine, cream and orange peel. Any citrus peel would be interesting, and next time I’ll try it with lemon. You can serve these mussels in a bowl like a stew, or spoon them over rice or pasta if you can handle the carbs. (more…)

Of all the recipes I’ve invented, this is the one that has gotten the most requests over the years. I have friends who are dejected if, when they come over for dinner, I haven’t made a dish featuring this green sauce rich in tomatillos, Hatch green chiles and garlic. It’s easy to assemble, and it freezes beautifully so I always make double or triple the amount I need. If you live in the Southwest, don’t miss the opportunity to make it during Hatch season — the fresh-roasted chiles available from roadside vendors or from supermarkets specializing in Mexican produce and ingredients.

I serve this sauce over grilled poultry, fish, tofu, or vegetables. It’s also an excellent base for a pork or goat stew: brown the meat, then add the green sauce and simmer until the meat is tender and begins to fall apart. The sauce is full of vitamins and minerals: one serving contains 127% of your daily iron requirement. (more…)

This is an exceptionally rich and mild chocolate mole (though of course you can heat it up with cayenne). It’s my favorite sauce for grilled turkey or chicken breast, and it also goes wonderfully with rice or vegetables. I make a large batch because it takes time to cook and it freezes well. From beginning to end, the cooking process is about three hours long, but your active contribution is less than one hour. It’s on a day off, when you don’t want to fuss too much in the kitchen, but you’d like to fill the house with delicious smells. At less than 120 calories per serving, this is an exceptional treat. (more…)