Turkish Stuffed Mussels with Spiced Rice and Pine Nuts

What you need

• 24 large live mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 100 g (1/2 cup) short-grain rice
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 30 g (1 oz) pine nuts
• 30 g (1 oz) currants
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 240 ml (1 cup) hot water, for the rice
• 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 bunch dill, finely chopped
• salt, to taste
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Soak the currants in warm water for 15 min, then drain.

2. 2

   Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear, then drain.

3. 3

   Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry the onions until soft, 5 min.

4. 4

   Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 3 min.

5. 5

   Stir in the rice, currants, tomato paste, allspice, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil.

6. 6

   Cover, turn the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is just tender, 15 min. Cool completely, then fold in the parsley and dill. Taste for salt.

7. 7

   Rinse the mussels and discard any that stay open when tapped. Slide a blunt knife into the seam at the pointed end and cut through the muscle so each shell opens like a book, hinged at one side.

8. 8

   Catch the mussel liquor in a bowl and strain it through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Pick off anything gritty from the mussel meat.

9. 9

   Put about 2 tsp of the cooled rice into each mussel, then press the shells shut around it.

10. 10

    Pack the mussels in a wide heavy pan in a tight spiral, tips outward, shells slightly overlapping. Set a heatproof plate on top to keep them closed.

11. 11

    Mix the strained liquor with enough water to make 250 ml (1 cup) and pour it in so it reaches halfway up the shells.

12. 12

    Cover and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook gently, 15 min, until the rice is cooked through and the mussels are firm. Discard any mussels that did not hold together.

13. 13

    Cool at room temperature, then chill for 30-60 min.

14. 14

    Serve on a platter with lemon wedges. Squeeze lemon over each mussel and scoop out the filling with the empty half shell.

Imported from ozlemsturkishtable.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.