Tiella

Tiella is a traditional Puglian dish which layers mussels with potatoes, rice and onion.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound mussels (if keeping the shell on – if removing the shell you will need more)

• 1 cup arborio rice

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup

• 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

• 1/2 a red onion, sliced thin

• 2 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

• 2 layers of garlic, minced

• fresh parsley

• 3 tablespoons mozzarella cheese

• 1 tablespoon parmigiano reggiano cheese

Process:

1. Clean the mussels. see below for directions

2.   Put mussels in a large skillet with some water over high heat.  Cover and let cook until the mussels are opened, about 3 minutes.  Discard any mussels that do not open.  Remove one of the shells from each mussel, so that each is sitting on the half shell.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Put the rice in a dish with cold water and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

5. Pour the olive oil in the bottom of your baking dish.  Top with the breadcrumbs.

6. Layer the onion over the breadcrumbs.

7. Layer the potatoes over the onions.

8. On top of the potatoes, layer the mussels open side up.

9. Top with half of the chopped tomatoes, half the garlic, and half the parsley.

10. Drain the rice and layer over the tomatoes.

11. Make another layer of potatoes.

12. Top with the remaining tomatoes, garlic and parsley.  Cover with the cheese.

13. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 cup olive oil.

14. Bake for about 1 hour, until liquid is absorbed and rice and potatoes are cooked through.

To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl and fill with fresh water until the mussels are completely submerged. Add in 1/2 a cup of cornmeal and stir to combine. Let the mussels sit for 30-60 minutes to expel the sand and salt in them. If you don’t have cornmeal, just let the mussels sit in fresh water for about 30 minutes. Then, clean each mussel by first pulling off the “beard”. The beard is the patch of threads hanging out of the side hinge of the mussel. Remove it by pulling it towards the hinge, or with a sharp knife. Then, scrub the mussels with a firm brush. When clean, place in a clean bowl with a little fresh water. Throw out any mussels that are open or chipped