Neven's Christmas in Limerick airs on Thursday, 11 December, on RTÉ One at 8pm.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For The Mussels
- 1kg fresh mussels in shells
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch of saffron threads
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- 2-3 cherry tomatoes
- 1 small leek, chopped
- 150ml white wine
- 1 litre hot vegetable stock
For The Orzo
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 350g orzo
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ red pepper, finely chopped
- ½ baby fennel, diced
- 1 tsp Nduja paste
- 1 tbsp crème fraiche
- 2 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
- Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
For The Mussels
- Clean the mussels, removing their beards and discarding any that are broken or do not close when tapped on a worksurface. Put a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and cook the onion until soft.
- Add the bay leaves, saffron and peppercorns, and stir for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir for another minute, then pour in the wine and the hot stock. Cover and bring to the boil.
- Add the mussels, cover and cook for 5 mins until they open – discard any closed ones. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a plate, strain the cooking liquid and keep it warm. Set aside 12 mussels for serving. Remove the remaining mussels from their shells and set aside, too.
For The Orzo
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the onion and diced fennel until soft and glossy.
- Add the garlic, red pepper and nduja and stir for a couple of minutes. Add 900ml of the reserved mussel cooking liquid to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the orzo and gently stir to combine.
- Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 15 mins, checking occasionally and stirring, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Mix in the shelled mussels.
- Season with salt & pepper, garnish with the reserved mussels in shells, stir in crème fraiche, chopped basil and drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.
