We love the mussels at Valenza in Brookhaven and would love to get the recipe. Thanks! — Andrea Burch, Brookhaven
Matt Swickerath, executive chef for Valenza and its sister restaurant Vero, was happy to share this recipe for mussel soup. It’s offered as one of the antipasti options and listed as “Cozze” on the menu. Similar dishes are often called Zuppa di Cozze. It’s a Neapolitan classic and quickly prepared.
Swickerath suggests that readers use sun-dried tomatoes packed in extra-virgin olive oil as a substitute for the oven-dried tomatoes they make at the restaurant. To prepare roasted garlic, heat the oven to 350 degrees and wrap one or more heads of garlic in foil. Bake until the garlic is soft, about one hour. Cool the garlic and separate the cloves, removing each from its peel. Roasted garlic will keep in the refrigerator for about one month. Cover it with olive oil before storing.
From the menu of...Valenza, 1441 Dresden Drive NE, Brookhaven; 404-969-3233, valenzarestaurant.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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