Cavatelli's Italian Trattoria Favorite Recipe: Mejillones del Chef

Photo by Michael Flores Interiano

Mussels so good that they convert atheists.

​In our preview of Cavatelli Italian Trattoria, we told you that we would put the squeeze on the chefs until they forked over either the recipe for the melt-in-your-mouth spinach gnocchi or their "I'm a Believer" mejillones del chef. These mussels are so delicious that we cornered Interiano just to talk about them.

This is how the conversation went:

New Times: What is up with those mussels? I don't even like mussels and not only did I eat every last one of them, I scraped my bread across the plate to soak up the sauce. Who does that? What did you put in those mussels?

Interiano: I know. I never liked mussels either until chef (Imanol Achurra) taught me this recipe.

Well, give it to me.

No.

Don't fret. We came through. If that pipsqueak tells you we put the hurt on him, he's lying.

Below is the recipe for Cavatelli's delectable mussels in wine sauce, generously given to us by sous chef Michael Flores Interiano.

We're still working on getting the gnocchi recipe.

Mejillones del Chef

1 oz. Brunoise onion (chef-speak for finely chopped onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 oz. White wine
7 Mussels (fresh or frozen)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Gather all mise en place (chef-speak for "get everything ready")
2. Heat sauté pan and pour olive oil and butter.
3. Add onion and sauté for 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add mussles upside down (shelves on top). Let liquid reduce 1-2 minutes.
5. Pour wine and reduce 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
6. Place mussels on plate, pour reduced sauce on top of muscles, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

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