Okay, there were supposed to be mussels in this recipe, but I'll save that story for another day (shakes fist in air at Penticton seafood market) - suffice it to say, I used prawns instead - and they were wonderful. I also used a glug of fish stock when I added the prawns, to add that flavour of the sea. This could easily be a veggie dish - no meat required, or you could add chicken, sausage, whatever. I also used veggie stock for this in lieu of water, for additional flavour. And the roasted tomatoes absolutely added depth - if making again, I'd absolutely roast the fresh tomatoes before using.
I wouldn't use canned legumes for this dish - you want the flavours to keep developing over time, and while it might seem like a complicated dish, its really not - though it is hands-on, you'll need to stir frequently - but the results were outstanding, the leftovers heavenly. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 cup dried cannellini beans
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I used some roasted tomatoes from last summer)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil + more for finishing
1 cup farro or pearled barley
1 ½ tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt, + more if needed
½ tsp pepperoncino flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled & sliced
2 lbs mussels
4 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
Rinse the chickpeas, and place in a bowl with cold water covering them by 4 inches. Do the same with the cannellini, in a separate bowl. Soak both for 12 to 24 hours.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a big saucepan with about 7 cups of fresh cold water. Set the pot over medium-high heat, and drop in the chopped carrot, celery, and onion, the halved cherry tomatoes, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, partially cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady, bubbling simmer. Stir occasionally.
After the chickpeas have cooked for an hour, drain and rinse the cannellini and stir into the pot. There should be at least an inch of liquid covering the beans; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring now and then.
Rinse the farro grains in a sieve, and stir in with the beans, along with the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepperoncino. There should be about 1/2 inch of liquid covering the beans and grain; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes or longer, until the beans and the farro are tender — add water if needed to keep the beans and grains barely covered with liquid as they finish cooking. When they are done, most of the surface water should have been absorbed or evaporated, but the stew should be slightly soupy.
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 pepperoncino. 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.
Shuck the mussels right over the pan, letting the juices and meat drop in. Discard the shells (and any mussels that did not open). If you like, leave a dozen or so mussels in the shell for a garnish.
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.
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