Pasta with Mussels Salento Style

Mussels  alla Maniera Salento

This recipe 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

Total Time: 24 hours, 105 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.

I cook this a lot and its the meal that is most cooked in my town.I can't stand mussels so I leave them on the side.You can throw a few small cherry toms into this if you like.