We always start “date night” with oysters and a bottle of white wine, usually riesling, unless something else is going into the food. This harkens back to a “progressive” meal I made for her when we first started dating and how impressed she was that I could shuck oysters.
As it turns out, shucking oysters is one of those skills that people think is much harder than it really is. If you are looking to up your food game, this may be a skill you want to pick up.
Here is a short video explaining how to do it.
Depending on where you live and shop, you may have a variety of oysters to choose from. We typically stick with the ubiquitous “Blue Point” but will try other types if they are available. Far more important is buying them from a reputable source. A shop that isn’t selling many Oysters will end up with many dead ones, which means you won’t know how many you got until you get home. A good shop (the Whole Foods near us is pretty reliable) will throw in some extras on the assumption that they won’t all make it.
Regarding the dead ones, when I first started preparing oysters at home, I was concerned that we would end up eating dead ones that could make us sick. This is another area where things aren’t nearly as hard as they seem. If they are dead they will smell bad and/or be dry when you open them.
Serve on a plate of crushed ice with a classic mignonette.
For the main, we decided to stick with our classics. So, we made “Baked Mushrooms and White Beans With Buttery Bread Crumbs” This is one of those casseroles that checks all the boxes. It has earthy mushrooms, creamy beans, the salty punch from the feta, and some crunch from the breadcrumb topping. We add a little crushed red pepper and lemon zest to enhance this already great dish.
FOR THE MUSHROOMS AND WHITE BEANS:
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3 tablespoons olive oil
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1 pound mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake or oyster, torn or roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
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Kosher salt and black pepper
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1 tablespoon butter
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1 small shallot, finely chopped
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2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
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1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
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1 (15-ounce) can of white beans (such as cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
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4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
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1 cup vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
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2 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian parsley
FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS:
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
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¾ cup fresh, coarse bread crumbs or panko
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Kosher salt and black pepper
The basic process is pretty straightforward. First, you will want to deeply brown the mushrooms (it takes about 10 minutes) and then add the butter, garlic, shallot, and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about a minute. Then add the beans and stock and top with crumbled feta. Pop it into the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes (note the original recipe calls for a much shorter time, but the results are better if you let the casserole cook until almost all of the liquid is gone). Next, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and broil until you are happy with the color of your bread crumbs. We usually skip the stovetop portion of the breadcrumb preparation as it lets the cheese get more melted and brown before the breadcrumbs start burning.
As a side, we also made some green beans in what I believe is an original preparation. There is no actual recipe but I’ll try to make one for this occasion. There was some skepticism the first time I made this, but it's now a frequently requested veg option.
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1 lb green beans, cleaned and trimmed
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¼ cup white wine
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2 tbsp butter
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½ cup pistachios, crushed
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1 bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped
Add your green beans and wine to a covered skillet. Cook on medium heat until the beans are nearly cooked. You are steaming the beans, so you will need to move them around a few times so that the ones on the bottom don’t over-cook.
Add butter and pistachio, raise heat to high and reduce the liquid until the pan is nearly dry. While reducing the wine, keep your green beans moving to get even coverage and prevent over-cooking.
Remove from heat and mix in mint leaves.
What's For Dinner at Your house?