MUSSELS WITH FARRO, CANNELLINI, AND CECI

MUSSELS WITH FARRO, CANNELLINI, AND CECI image

Categories Dinner

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 cup dried chickpeas (ceci)
1 cup dried cannellini beans
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 cup farro or pearled barley
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus more if needed
1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
4 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and sliced
2 pounds mussels
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Steps:

1. Rinse the farro grains in a sieve 2. Saute vegetables plus a clove of garlic in olive oil; add farro, peperoncino and water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, until farro is tender. 3. While the farro cooks, prepare the mussels. Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil into the sauté pan, and scatter in the garlic cloves and remaining 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino. Cook for 3 minutes or so over medium-high heat, until the garlic is lightly colored, then add all the rinsed mussels at once. Tumble them around the pan quickly, to coat with oil, and put on the cover. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, shaking the covered pan a couple of times, just until the mussels are open, and take the pan off the stove. 4. Add beans to warm them 5. Shuck the mussels right over the pan, letting the juices and meat drop in. 6. When the farro and beans are cooked, pour the shucked mussels and their juices into the pot and stir well-the consistency should be rather brothy. Heat to a boil, and cook for just a minute, to make sure everything is nice and hot. Taste, and adjust salt. Stir in the chopped parsley, and spoon portions into warm pasta bowls; garnish with unshucked mussels if you saved them. Drizzle good olive oil over each, and serve immediately.