Apulian potato, mussels & rice bake
- 500g of potatoes, peeled and sliced to 1/2 cm thick
- 200g of Arborio rice, well washed in cold water
- 24 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
- 100ml of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 French shallot, thinly sliced
- 350g of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 40g of freshly grated pecorino
- parsley
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Pre-heat your oven to 220°C, conventional, 200°C fan forced. Using a paring knife, open the mussels over a bowl, to collect the juices.Straing the juices through a fine meshed sieve and set aside.
Oil an oven dish with a 5-7 cm rim. You can use an oval or a round one, but make sure it’s not too little (26 cm would be great, or even larger)
Place half of the onion slices on the bottom of the dish, then cover with 1 layer of potatoes (keep half for a second layer), season with salt, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Top with half the cherry tomatoes and season as you go. Place the opened mussels in one layer then scatter the rice on top. Dress with half the pecorino, the reserved mussel juices, more olive oil, salt and pepper and some chopped parsley. Add a top layer of potatoes, then the rest of the cherry tomatoes, the oil, more seasoning, more parsley and scatter the rest of the cheese on top. Use a jug a water to fill up the diced of the oven dish with enough water so that the liquid is at the same level as the top layer. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat to 200°C and bake for a further 30-35 minutes. At the very end turn on the grill function to encourage a crusty top, 2-3 minutes will do. Serve at the table in the pot.
