Test with knife pushed through the layers: it's ready when the potatoes are nearly tender and the rice is still a little 'al dente'.
Ingredients
- 675g Arborio rice
- 2 onions, very finely diced
- 450g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 tblsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- About 6 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of hot chilli powder
- 900g Glenbeigh mussels in the shell, scrubbed and de-bearded
- 50ml dry white wine
- 900g yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and sliced (waxy, such as Charlotte)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lightly dressed green salad, to serve
Method
- Place the mussels in a large pan with the wine. Cover, then bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until all the mussels have opened - discard any that do not. Strain the mussels, reserving the liquor and then remove the mussel meat from the shells.
- Mix the Arborio rice with the onion, tomato, celery, garlic, parsley, oregano and four tablespoons of the extra virginolive oil. Season to taste and add the chilli powder, then set aside until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Spread half the potato slices in a single layer in the base of a large earthenware casserole. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spread with half the rice mixture. Top with the mussel meat and drizzle over half of the reserved liquor. Cover with the remaining potato slice. Drizzle the rest of the reserved mussel liquor on top and then add enough boiling water to come halfway up the layers. Drizzle over the rest of the olive oil.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Test with knife pushed through the layers: it's ready when the potatoes are nearly tender and the rice is still a little 'al dente'. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve straight to the table.
