Smoked Mussels Risotto Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Tip in the onion, then fry gently for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the rice and mix until coated in the butter, then pour in the wine and let it bubble until it's almost all disappeared.
• Pour in half the stock, give it a good stir, then leave to gently cook for 10 mins. Add half of the remaining stock, stir again and cook for 5 mins more. Keep adding stock and cooking until the rice is tender.
• Peel the skin off the mackerel, scrape away any dark brown flesh, then flake. Stir into the rice with the spring onions and spinach, then cook just until the spinach has wilted slightly. Serve straight away.