Scrub mussels under cold running water with a kitchen brush. Pull off beards from shells with a small, sharp knife.
For opening them, follow our instructions: hold the hinged end in your hand and insert a sturdy, blunt knife between the shell halves, working it round to cut the hinge muscle; at the end twist the knife to prise open the shell.
Eliminate the shell half without mussel.
During these steps you have to pay attention not to lose mussel juices; it's important to preserve them for the recipe taste.
Peel potatoes, cut into thick slices crossways and put them in a bowl with cold water.
Peel garlic cloves and cut into little pieces; clean, wash and chop onions, celery, parsley and basil; wash and cut into pieces cherry tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Put some olive oil and butter flakes in a deep metal pie dish; then make a first layer with garlic, onions, parsley, celery, basil and tomatoes.
Cover with a layer of potatoes, season to taste with salt and sprinkle with ewe's cheese (pecorino).
Arrange mussels and their juices and sprinkle with pepper.
Cover with the rice. Repeat the layer of garlic, onions, celery, parsley, basil, tomatoes and oil; season to taste with salt and sprinkle with ewe's cheese.
Cover with potato slices and coat them with garlic, onions, celery, parsley, basil, tomatoes, olive oil and some butter flakes. Season to taste with salt and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Cover with water all the ingredients and bake for at least 30 minutes or until the cooking juice is well retired.
If necessary, add other hot water (some tablespoons), during cooking.
Let the dish rest for some minutes and then serve.
You can let this dish cool completely; it's very tasty too!

Note

• - It's a tasty one-plate meal; you can complete it with a seasonal salad and fresh fruit.

What's the right wine for " Tiella with rice, potatoes & mussels " ?

Our suggestion is: Leverano Rosato (wine from Apulia).

A little history

This recipe dates back to Spanish domination in the south of Italy. In this way we can explain a dish based on rice in a part of Italy famous for its pasta. The name tiella derives from the saucepan in which Apulia women bake a lot of their recipes. It's a great earthenware pie dish, suitable for baking.