Recipe below: Fregola with Mussels, Ginger, Basil, and Saffron
In 1995 a cocktail bar opened in an old beauty parlor on East 14th Street. Two guys from the neighborhood approached the lady who had owned and operated the salon since the 1930s and asked her if she wanted to sell. She said yes, but under one condition, that they keep all the decor intact. They agreed. So even now when you walk in you see a lovely 1930s-through-1950s interior, including big helmet-head silver hair dryers and green-and-gold-striped walls. It is a place of beauty.
Since I live in the West Village, I’m not a regular there, but I used to go often enough when I was nearby. They made good cocktails, and you even could—and still can—get your nails done. I remember being quite ill there at some point, in a bad gin experience. They luckily did have clean bathrooms. Better than getting sick at CBGB. That was a nightmare. I went back to Beauty Bar recently after a long absence. It seems unchanged, still a nice mix of East Village types.
Step outside of Beauty Bar and look up, and you can read the words Italian Labor Center toward the top of the building. On either side of this inscription you’ll see sculptures depicting Italian immigrant families, one in obvious misery, the other appearing happy. I guess the happy family is the one that trusted its livelihood to the Italian Labor Center. The sculptor was a guy named Onorio Ruotolo, a left-winger who was well known for his political art. The building was built in 1919 and served as headquarters for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union’s Local 48, which was also known as the Italian Cloakmakers Union. It was a good old-fashioned socialist organization. Lots of strikes and protests were hatched there. Italian history, all over New York.
And speaking of Italian New York, I had just come back from Buon Italia in the Chelsea Market with a bag of Sardinian fregola. I love the stuff. It’s essentially big, handmade-looking durum wheat couscous, but toasted, so the taste is deeper and the texture pleasantly chewy. It’s wonderful with shellfish, so I came up with this summery mussel recipe that includes basil and saffron, two fairly predictable additions, but also fresh ginger, which made the whole dish really come alive.
Happy summer cooking to you.
Fregola with Mussels, Ginger, Basil, and Saffron
Salt
2½ cups large fregola
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 summer onion, cut into small dice, including some of the tender green stem
1 celery stalk, cut into small dice, plus a handful of the leaves, lightly chopped
1 1-inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
1 fresh peperoncino, minced (or as much as you like)
About 6 or 7 sprigs of lemon thyme, the leaves lightly chopped
1½ pints grape tomatoes
1 cup dry Marsala
½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
A big pinch of dried and ground saffron
1½ pounds very fresh mussels, cleaned
A handful of basil leaves, lightly chopped, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and throw in the fregola. Cook it until just tender, about 8 minutes, tasting it to make sure. Drain it, and pour it into a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil.
Set a large sauté pan over medium heat, and add a big drizzle of olive oil (the pan should be big enough to hold all the mussels after they’ve opened). Add the onion, the celery and its leaves, the ginger, the peperoncino, and a little salt. Sauté until everything is fragrant and softening, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon thyme, allowing its flavor open up in the heat. Add the tomatoes, and let them soften for a minute or two. Add half of the Marsala, and let it bubble a bit. Add the broth and the ground saffron, and simmer for another minute or so. Turn off the heat.
Put the mussels in a big pot. Add the rest of the dry Marsala and a little olive oil. Cook, stirring the mussels around a few times, until they open.
Turn the heat back on under the onion-celery mix to reheat it. Add the fregola and the mussels with their cooking juices, and simmer gently for a minute or so, just to warm it all through and blend the flavors. Add a drizzle of fresh olive oil and the chopped basil, and toss well. Pour everything into a large, wide serving bowl,and garnish with basil sprigs. If you have a bottle of Greco di Tufo, it will provide a wonderful accompaniment.