the butter lettuce and arugula and stir until just soft. Add the stock and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, then remove from the heat and let cool.
Transfer the cooled soup to a blender. Add the mint leaves and blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend further to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill. Serve chilled with a splash of lemon juice, if desired, and with garlic toasts.
LOBSTER AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP
ZUPPA DI CANNELLINI E ARAGOSTA
SERVES 6
G: This super-Tuscan take on the American mainstay lobster was about simplifying the richness of this ordinarily butter-drenched shellfish and marrying it with the humble creaminess of my people’s beloved cannellini beans. When I created this as an appetizer during my stint at the Montauk Yacht Club, diners who tasted it wanted more!
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (2-pound) live lobster
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
4 cups fish stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Bring an 8-quart stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster, head first, and cover tightly with a lid. Boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until the lobster is very bright red.
Using tongs, remove the lobster from the boiling water and set it aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, crack open the claws, body, and tail and remove the meat. Reserve any juices in a bowl for adding to the soup later. Chop the lobster meat into chunks.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shallot and sauté for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and beans, bring to a soft boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Using an immersion blender, purée the beans until smooth. Add the lobster meat and the reserved juices and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the parsley, and serve.
SPICY MUSSEL SOUP
with grilled bread
COZZE ALLA TARANTINA CON FETTUNTA
SERVES 4–6
G: When I was in the army and stationed in Florence, home comforts weren’t very far away. When I could leave the base, I would zip to our house in Fiesole, eat a home-cooked meal, and be back by curfew. I would often bring a roommate, and a guy from Taranto who especially loved this mussel soup from his region, Apulia. He always wanted it super spicy. It’s a dish that really reflects the simplicity and freshness of the ingredients—Deborah says it’s what turned her on to enjoying mussels. With a nice chunk of garlic-rubbed, olive oil–soaked, grilled bread called fettunta, and a glass of chilled white wine, this is a wonderful summer meal.
SOUP
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3 garlic cloves, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound cherry tomatoes, quartered
¾ cup dry white wine
3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
GRILLED BREAD (FETTUNTA)
1 loaf country bread or Pane Toscano , thickly sliced
1 garlic clove, halved
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
To make the soup: In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until you smell their sweetness. Stir in the white wine and cook for about 1 minute, until it begins to simmer. Add the mussels and cover tightly. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mussels just begin to open. Remove from the heat and discard any mussels that did not open.
Transfer to bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and drizzle with oil. Serve with the fettunta.
Meanwhile, to make the grilled bread: Preheat the broiler, or place a
Transfer the cooled soup to a blender. Add the mint leaves and blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend further to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill. Serve chilled with a splash of lemon juice, if desired, and with garlic toasts.
LOBSTER AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP
ZUPPA DI CANNELLINI E ARAGOSTA
SERVES 6
G: This super-Tuscan take on the American mainstay lobster was about simplifying the richness of this ordinarily butter-drenched shellfish and marrying it with the humble creaminess of my people’s beloved cannellini beans. When I created this as an appetizer during my stint at the Montauk Yacht Club, diners who tasted it wanted more!
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (2-pound) live lobster
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
4 cups fish stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Bring an 8-quart stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster, head first, and cover tightly with a lid. Boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until the lobster is very bright red.
Using tongs, remove the lobster from the boiling water and set it aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, crack open the claws, body, and tail and remove the meat. Reserve any juices in a bowl for adding to the soup later. Chop the lobster meat into chunks.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shallot and sauté for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and beans, bring to a soft boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Using an immersion blender, purée the beans until smooth. Add the lobster meat and the reserved juices and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the parsley, and serve.
SPICY MUSSEL SOUP
with grilled bread
COZZE ALLA TARANTINA CON FETTUNTA
SERVES 4–6
G: When I was in the army and stationed in Florence, home comforts weren’t very far away. When I could leave the base, I would zip to our house in Fiesole, eat a home-cooked meal, and be back by curfew. I would often bring a roommate, and a guy from Taranto who especially loved this mussel soup from his region, Apulia. He always wanted it super spicy. It’s a dish that really reflects the simplicity and freshness of the ingredients—Deborah says it’s what turned her on to enjoying mussels. With a nice chunk of garlic-rubbed, olive oil–soaked, grilled bread called fettunta, and a glass of chilled white wine, this is a wonderful summer meal.
SOUP
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3 garlic cloves, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound cherry tomatoes, quartered
¾ cup dry white wine
3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
GRILLED BREAD (FETTUNTA)
1 loaf country bread or Pane Toscano , thickly sliced
1 garlic clove, halved
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
To make the soup: In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until you smell their sweetness. Stir in the white wine and cook for about 1 minute, until it begins to simmer. Add the mussels and cover tightly. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mussels just begin to open. Remove from the heat and discard any mussels that did not open.
Transfer to bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and drizzle with oil. Serve with the fettunta.
Meanwhile, to make the grilled bread: Preheat the broiler, or place a
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