Mussels Cooked Salento Style, or Cozze alla Maniera Salentina: Luigi Sada says, in La Cucina Pugliese, that this is common in the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. It is, with respect to some other mussel-based preparations, quite involved, but will be a very nice centerpiece to a hearty fish-based meal. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 24 hours, 45 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces (300 g) live mussels, purged (see link to instructions below)
- 1 pound (500 g) potatoes, peeled and sliced
- A white onion, sliced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons mild pecorino Romano
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Scrub the mussels and then shuck them over a bowl, gathering the water that emerges from their shells in a the bowl and putting them in a separate bowl (discard the shells).Cook the potato slices, onion, and parsley briefly in the juice from the mussels and a little oil. Remove all but a thin layer of potato slices, and lay down a layer of mussels. Dust it with bread crumbs and cheese, a little more minced parsley, then a second potato layer, followed by another layer of mussels, bread crumbs and herbs. Sprinkle the beaten egg over all, and bake it in a hot (220 C, 440 F) oven until the upper surface is golden and crunchy.
