Rice, Potatoes and Mussels (cozze)

Ingredients for 4 people:

- Taranto's mussels, 1 kg.
- Grated Pecorino cheese, 3 spoons
- Rice, 250g.
- Tomatoes 500g.
- Potatoes 500g.
- Parsley
- Large onions, 2 pieces
- Zucchini, 100g.
- Oil
- Garlic (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)

It is the queen of soups, which has a number of variants, depending on the countries. This is where the “mother” is recommended, that barese.
Clean the potatoes ("Pasta gialla" kind are the most suitable ones), cut them with fairly large slices and put them in a tiles covered with water so that they do not blacken.
Detach the mussels from the rush, wash them well and scrap the shells to clean them from the impurities.
Take it one time and, with the right knife, open it all the seafood to one valve (for the success of this dish, it is advisable to always open the mussels by hand to preserve the liquid that when opening it comes out). If you are unable to carry out such an operation, which requires experience and convenience, you should opened it by fire in a hot pan.
(in that case they will lose the delicious perfume of the sea) and put them on a dish separate or in a pan.
Wash the rice slightly. Chop a mold of parsley, clean one or two clove of garlic and onions; Keep the other ingredients close at hand.
When all is ready, start to cover the bottom of a tegame (preferably made of crete) with broken tomatoes and sliced onions; condition with finely cut garlic and parsley, a bit of salt, oil, pecorino cheese and pepper.
A row of potatoes and their mussels in shell shall be arranged on this layer of seasoning. Sprink the rice on the mussels and continue to garnish with tomato, parsley, garlic, cheese and oil. Finally, put another layer of potato seasoned as before; in addition, you sprinkle it with zucchini slices and breadcrumbs. Add the water of the mussels.During firing in a static oven at 200 ° for 35 minutes, check that there is always sufficient liquid and, if necessary, aadd a little water at a time, avoiding that the pan is too soupy.
This dish should not be eaten very hot.