Tiella Di Cozze (Mussel Casserole)

Ingredients

• 3 lbs mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 lb potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 4 ounces grated pecorino romano cheese
• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Directions

1. 1

   Put mussels and wine in a skillet. Cover tightly and steam 2-3 min, until the mussels open. Remove and discard the top half of each mussel shell. Any mussels that fail to open should be discarded. Drain and reserve liquid from the pan. Pout liquid through a fine sieve.

2. 2

   Roughly chop parsley. Add pecorino and bread crumbs, along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Add olive oil until it forms a thick paste.

3. 3

   Drizzle olive oil into tiella pan or large casserole. Place a thin layer of onions into the pan. Add a layer of tomatoes, then a layer of potatoes, then a layer of mussels-on-the-half-shell. Dab each mussel with a bit of the parsley paste. Repeat the layers (onions, tomatoes, potatoes, mussels with parsley paste), to make 3 or 4 layers.

4. 4

   Pour the reserved mussel liquid down the side of the pan. Drizzle the egg over the top of the casserole. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375F oven for 45 min or until potatoes are browned.