Ganxet beans with mussels

When the two ‘Quotidian cooks’ meet in Barcelona for lunch, we usually end up in one of the food stalls in the neighborhood markets. There are 39 neighborhood markets in Barcelona (awesome, isn’t it?) providing fresh produce, culture and joy to their inhabitants. This time, we have been in the Mercat del Ninot, in the Mercat d’Hostafrancs, in the Mercat de Santa Caterina and in the Mercat de la Concepció. Attention, there are a few stalls left. Our favorites have a rather short counter with products exposed over kitchen metal trays: razor clams, squids, mushrooms, asparagus … ready to go to the pan and become the daily specials. These are local dishes of simple execution and few ingredients: beans with mint, grilled cuttle fish, sautéed cod with vegetables, mongetes with baby squids, to name a few classics.

To launch this blog we are paying tribute to the food stalls in our markets and their honest cuisine rooted in Mediterranean flavors. To start, nothing more simple and splendid than these Mussels with Ganxet beans.

Let´s have a closer look at this babies:

Ganxet beans are grown in a small area of Catalonia in the Maresme and Vallès counties. These beans are medium sized, with slightly rough skin and subtle flavor. Since 2011 they have their own European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Mongeta del Ganxet and can be purchased dried, cooked or canned. Ganxet beans are known for its creaminess, its almost imperceptible skin and smooth taste. They are ideal for dishes where we want to highlight the flavors of the ingredients. They are used in some of the jewels of Catalan cuisine: the ‘Empedrat’ with cod, mongetes amb ‘cap i pota’ or this fresh Mussels with Ganxet beans. Our take on this recipe is a version of the Catalan-French culinary expert Pierre Roca published in his blog Los jueves, paella.

This recipe has maritime personality, transporting us to summer days near the Mediterranean. The superb quality of these beans and the simplicity of its ingredients speak to us of those dishes that have not changed over the years because they can hardly be improved.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Ganxet beans with mussels

 

Print

Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb/500 g cooked ganxet beans
• 4 lb/2 kg of mussels
• 15-20 dried black olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 scallions
• 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ glass of white wine
• 1 spring of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leave
• 12 black pepper grains
• 1 garlic clove.
• Fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Wash and clean the mussels, removing the beards and dirt with a knife.
2. In a casserole mix the white wine with the thyme, bay leaf, crushed garlic clove, pepper and one chopped scallion .
3. Add the mussels well drained to the recipient, heat and cover with the lid.
4. With the lid on, shake the casserole so that the mussels are well mixed with the ingredients. Repeat several times during cooking.
5. Simmer for five minutes before opening the lid to check if mussels have opened.
6. Once opened, remove them from the casserole and remove the mussels from its shells.
7. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.
8. In a bowl combine the beans, mussels, finely chopped scallion, black olives and chopped parsley. Mix well.
9. Mix by hand the liquid from the mussels with three tablespoons of olive oil to form an emulsion.
10. Serve in a flat plate generously dressing the food with the emulsion. Check the salt before serving.

Culinary Tips

If you do not find Ganxet beans you can replace them by another type of white, small beans with smooth texture. It will not be the same but it will work. Italian Cannellini beans or Greek Papouda beans are both a nice substitute.
You can serve the dish as a warm salad or main dish. We recommend that you steam the beans for 10 minutes before using them. In any case they should not be dry before mixing them with other ingredients.
In summer, you can also serve them as a nice, refreshing cold salad.
Use a fruity extra virgin olive oil of the 'Arbequina' variety. The better the oil you use, the better the flavor.

Nutritional good news
Mussels are an excellent source of selenium and vitamin B12 and a good source of: iodine, zinc and folate. Your thyroid could´t be more happy!
Foods that are an "excellent source" of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the recommended daily value. Foods that are a "good source" of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the recommended daily value.

3.5.3208