vHUFFS continued from page 18 flavorings.” He was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018, and awarded “Outstanding Chef ” and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation. In 2018, he published We Fed An Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Steve said he has been inspired by the chef ’s story and would like to incorporate those ideas into his own legal practice. “At some point, I would like to introduce food as part of a mediation process,” Steve said. “We get together for a fantastic breakfast, with each person ordering what he or she wants. We would share a great meal and come together in working out a solution to the issue at hand.” While the Huffs enjoy seafood, Steve admitted the family stayed away from it for a time. “We were intimidated by seafood. We didn’t really know how to prepare it,” he said. “We were worried that we would get sick if we didn’t do things right. We hardly ate it for 20 years, but now we’ve rediscovered it.” The Huffs dived back into the water with seafood, so to speak. Steve turned to “Chef Staci” at the Hy-Vee supermarket in Yankton for tips on preparing seafood. Once they got their confidence back, the Huffs learned the joys of working with various seafood items. They purchased a “grab bag” of mussels that formed one of the tapas for this meal. “We got it for $2.99 a pound, and you can get 60 to 70 mussels in a bag,” Steve said. “Another time, I went into the seafood department and bought a large amount of shrimp. I surprised the guy behind the counter, but I told him that’s what I wanted.” As part of our meal, Steve offered a lesson on the preparation and serving of mussels. “If there is one that’s half open, squeeze it. If it doesn’t move at all, it’s dead. If it moves in any way, it’s fine,” he said. “If a mussel is cracked or dead, throw it away. Scrub the rest, and you’re ready to go. All you have to do is get the delicious mussels ready to put in your mouth.” For the next step, put the mussels in boiling liquid for six or seven minutes, Steve said. For flavor, add red or white sauce, curry or butter and wine sauce. “We like garlic and little green onions, things like leeks, to put in with our mussels,” Tracy said. “You can cut the ends of leeks, which are Taking It Easy On a lighter note, Tracy said she enjoys tapas for the flexibility in the kitchen. The concept brings a wide variety of options without a great number of rules or work. “I think you can get a bit more creative with it, especially with the things you put inside the mushrooms,” she said. “When we decided to go with tapas for this meal, we talked about using the things we had on hand. We thought of shrimp and mushrooms, throwing in some scallions and Dimock Monterey Jack Cheese along with paprika and scallions.” The ability to break the rules starts with the salad, Steve said. “For a lot of people, a salad is a wedge of lettuce, ranch dressing and maybe some bacon, and that’s great. But salad can be many other things,” he said. “Here, you have the oranges slices and carrots. How simple is it? You peel an orange, making sure you get rid of the white pulp; peel a carrot and cut it into slivers; arrange it on a plate and cover with the juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of sugar or any different Save up to 2750 $ Flexing Your Mussels vHUFFS continued on page 20 with manufacturer rebates and utility incentives Save Up To 30%* Now with 2019 Federal Tax Credits for All Solar & GEO Thermal Home Comfort Systems *certain restrictions apply HEATING & COOLING 2401 Broadway, Yankton • 605-665-9461 www.larrysheatingandcooling.com Serving the Yankton, Vermillion and Surrounding Areas For Over 36 Years HERVOICEvMAY/JUNE 2019v19