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The way we proceeded with the cookbook proved not only to be very effective, but the best
education in cooking I ever had. I propped my laptop on the stove top and watched Andrea
cook each dish, step by step, while I wrote it all down. We measured, timed, and took the
temperature of everything. If Andrea did something I didn’t understand, he would stop and
explain the step. When he was about to grab a handful of something to throw into the pot,
I stopped him so we could measure the quantity exactly.
Two hundred dishes later, I had written all the recipes and was going about the endless
task of cross-checking the ingredient lists with the instructions. Meanwhile, photographer
Glade Bilby and his team came in to shoot the beautiful illustrations of the food. By the
time we were finished, I was betrothed.
Almost three decades have gone by, and I still think that La Cucina Di Andrea’s is one of
the two most useful cookbooks in my kitchen. I refer to it constantly. I also keep a copy at
the radio station, to answer questions asked by my listeners.
It’s over thirty years that Andrea’s has been open. Over the years Chef Andrea has adopted
a policy of cooking anything a customer asks for if he has the ingredients on hand.This has
made the place less Italian and more New Orleans every day. But that’s what the customers
want, and that’s what Chef Andrea offers to give.
Cozze in Umido
(Steamed Mussels)
Mussels are not found in any quantity in
Gulf Coast waters, but they have become
so easily available in recent years that
Andrea’s has them prepared several ways
on the menu. Remember that mussels
cook very quickly.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
24 mussels in shells
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup dry white wine
1
cup fish stock
2 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoon white pepper
HOW TO PREP
The most time-consuming part of cooking
mussels used to be cleaning them. You’d
have to wash them extremely well, as they
always contain more than a little sand. The
“beard” — a mat of fibers with which the
mussel attaches itself to its rock — also must
be removed. Rouses mussels are pre-cleaned.
Mussels should be closed when you receive
them. Any open mussels should be tapped
lightly with a spoon; if they don’t close then,
discard them.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium
heat and sauté onion and garlic until onions
are blond. Add crushed red pepper, wine,
stock, parsley, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Add washed mussels to skillet and cook,
covered, until they open — about two
minutes. Remove the mussels from the pan
and wash them in a bowl of warm, salted
water to remove the sand inside.
Return mussels to skillet and continue to
cook for two or three minutes more, sloshing
the sauce inside the open shells. Mussels are
cooked when the edges curl; don’t overcook
them or they’ll become tough and tasteless.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve very
hot.
Makes four appetizers or two entrées.
If serving as an entrée accompany with
cooked linguine tossed with extra sauce and
garnished with chopped parsley.