Seamus Mullen Shares His Hero Food
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With the success of his current New York City restaurant, it could be said that Seamus Mullen is dominating the restaurant scene. But he doesn't let it end there; he's also delving into the world of home cooking (and succeeding in this as well). With his new cookbook, Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better, Mullen celebrates the foods that have helped him live a healthier and better life after he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis several years ago.
While not all the recipes are "healthy" in the conventional meaning of the word (ex: duck liver toasts), the approach to cooking is one that focuses on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and enhancing the natural beauty and qualities of these ingredients.
The recipes in Hero Food are separated first into seasons, and then into chapters within those seasons, each based on one of his 18 "hero" foods. Finally, there are subsections that include a "Technique" and "A Note on..." For example, Season II: Spring on My Rooftop contains a chapter on eggs that hosts "Technique: Deep-Frying an Egg in Olive Oil" [Editor's Note: Yum] and "A Note on... Sobrassada."
The informative, personal, and lively book is as beautiful as it is enticing to cook from. Check out some of the recipes below to get started.
White Bean Salad with Preserved Tuna and Parsley Vinaigrette
This bright salad can be topped with the preserved tuna or a good-quality canned tuna instead.
Steamed Corn with Clams and Bacon
A perfect dish for a late summer gathering outdoors.
An easy how-to for preserving tuna.