Rice, potatoes and mussels - Riso, patate e cozze

Yes, this plate is called very simple - Rice, potatoes and mussels. It has a short name too - tajeddha - with an indescribable accent on last "DDHA", like somewhere there "r" is hidden, but this name is in dialect))  In other dialect it's called teglia

So it is very tasty, I can't say that it is very simple to cook, but in general, it's a simple enough and it is typical plate of Salento, where I'm living. Salento - this is the south of the Puglia region, the heel of italian shoe) Here indescribably mixed traditions since ancient time of Romans and Greeks, left their trace Messapi, we are not talking about Turks ... Well, in general, it's the pot of cultures. That, of course, has left its mark in cousine too. 

Tajeddha has to be cooked in the oven or better in the wood oven. We cook it in the oven at the beach house. 

At this time, I disn't cook it - because I had to made photography, so the recipe is not my original. The difference I will explain too. There are many different recipes, each women has it's own) Some women add even sliced ​​zucchini. 

You will need (honestly, never know exact proportions, because we always prepare  tajeddha for 20 people). 

• potatoes, 
• Arborio rice (better not parboiled ) 
• onion, 
• cherry tomatoes 
• mussels, 
• parsley, 
• grated cheese (which is available - Parmesan, Grana Padano, or similar), 
• Pepper, salt and olive oil 
• garlic (in my recipe) 

Nuance about mussels - we order the mussels already opened, but if you have them closed, throw them for a minute in the pan with a little of water and they will open. Remove one half. Water do not throw out - you will need it. 

Peel the potatoes and cut it into thin slices or semi-round, if potatoe is big. 

Mix it in a bowl with grated cheese 

finely chop the parsley

Mix it with the potatoes and season with a little olive oil, pepper and chop a few tomatoes. Leave on for half an hour. 

I my recipe: I mix the potatoes with sliced ​​garlic, olive oil, tomatoes - put more tomatoes than on the photo - and quite a bit of parsley and a little salt. I add a little water to make broth, which we then use too. 

Cut the onion into thin half-rings 

Put it in water

Thus, we begin to prepare the form for oven. Grease the bottom with the olive oil and put a thin layer of the onion. 

Then a thin layer of potatoes

Then mussels

Sprinkle the rice. It is important to cover the mussels with rice. I prefer to use normal rice for risotto, not parboiled rice - because it better absorbs the taste of food. Parboiled rice is better as a simple garniture. But the women who cooked prefeir parboiled. 

Then, in the same order put all the second time, without onion. Finish with potatoes on the top and cover with cheese. Pour salted water or water from the mussels till the level of potatoes. 

Cook on 200 degrees for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, see by yourself when potatoes are cooked. 

That's what we've got)