Smoked Mussels Risotto Recipes

MUSSEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Clean the mussels. Inspect each one carefully and discard any that have opened (if some are partly open, tap them with your finger, and if they close back up they are O.K.) or have cracked shells. Place in a large bowl, fill the bowl with cold water and rinse several times, swishing the mussels around in the water, pouring out the water and refilling. Clean the shells, if necessary, with a brush or the end of one of the mussels, and pull out the beards - the hairy attachments emerging from the shells. Do not do this until just before cooking, or the mussels will die and spoil.
• Combine 1 cup of the wine and the 3 cups of water in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the sliced onion, the crushed garlic cloves, the thyme and parsley sprigs, and the peppercorns and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover the pan and cook until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes. Stir the mussels halfway through. Using tongs, transfer the mussels to a bowl, holding them over the pot first so any liquid in the shells will drain into the pot. Discard any that have not opened. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the mussels from their shells.
• Line a strainer with a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth, place over a saucepan and strain the broth from the mussels. Add more water or stock to make 6 cups if using 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. (You will have enough if using 1 cup arborio.) Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Taste and season as desired.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the finely chopped onion and the celery and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until the onion is just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not brown.
• Stir in the arborio rice and the minced garlic and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine and stir until it is no longer visible in the pan. Add the tomatoes and saffron and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, stir in the mussels and any juice that has accumulated in the bowl, the cooked brown rice, if using, and the peas. Taste now and adjust seasoning. Stir in another ladleful of stock and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn't). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

SMOKED MUSSELS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat nonstick pan while chopping whole onion.
• Coat pan with olive oil spray and, with heat on medium high, saute onion until it begins to brown.
• In another pot, heat stock to a simmer.
• Rinse mussels in strainer under warm water; drain and cut in half.
• Chop whole pepper, and add to onion when onion has begun to brown. Stir and cook about 2 minutes.
• Add rice and wine to onion-pepper mixture, and cook over high heat about 1 minute longer, until wine has almost evaporated.
• Add 1 cup of the stock to the rice mixture, cooking over medium-high heat and stirring occasionally. When liquid has been absorbed, add another cup of stock, along with the tomato paste, stirring well to blend in paste. Continue adding stock and cooking, with occasional stirring, until rice is soft but still firm. With the last cup of stock, add the mussels to the mixture. Do not cook away all the liquid: the mixture should be slightly runny.

SMOKED HADDOCK RISOTTO

Steps:

• Put the cold stock and haddock in a pan, and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer for 3 minutes, then lift the fish out of the pan carefully using a slotted spoon and break into flakes using a fork. Leave the stock gently simmering at the back of the stove.
• Put the olive oil, 20g/¾oz butter, onion, parsley stalks and a pinch of salt in a large, deep saucepan or flameproof casserole. Cook over a medium-low heat until the onion is soft and starting to turn translucent. Add the rice and stir so every grain is coated with the oil and butter.
• Add the wine and let it evaporate. Make a note of the time, and start adding the vegetable stock one ladle at a time, stirring the rice attentively and vigorously until all the liquid is absorbed, before adding the next ladleful. Continue adding the stock ladle by ladle, adding the flaked haddock after 16 minutes, working on the principle the cooking time will be 17-20 minutes depending on the rice. Keep tasting. It is ready when the rice is plump and firm but without any chalky bite. The risotto should be soft, fluid and creamy.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining butter, parsley leaves and lemon zest, then serve.

PASTA WITH SMOKED MUSSELS AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to a boil and boil pasta. Meanwhile prepare the ingredients: Coarsely chopping the mussels, sardines, capers and parsley and adding them to the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper.
• When pasta is done, drain and shake dry and add to the bowl; toss with scallions, reserving some for garnish. Serve warm.
• Refresh leftovers with vinaigrette.