Tiella Recipe From Puglia With Love 

This tiella recipe is the perfect dish to create at home if you're looking to wax nostalgic about Puglia and its food or temporarily transport yourself to the southern Italian region. Also called riso, patate e cozze (rice, potatoes, and mussels), tiella is one of Puglia's most beloved dishes, and it's named for the pan in which it's traditionally served. The rice is prepared more paella-style than risotto as the dish originated during Spanish rule in the 16th century. Tiella RecipePhotography: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice PradaRecipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Ingredients for 6
2 lb./1 kg. mussels
1 lb./500 g. potatoes
1 lb./500 g cherry tomatoes
7 oz./200 g. Carnaroli rice
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 onion
parsley
celery leaves
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
grated
dry white wine
extra-virgin olive oil
salt 
pepper

Clean the mussels well and open them in a saucepan with 2 Tbsp. oil. Once open, separate, leaving the mussels attached to one valve and discarding the other.

Collect the mussels in a bowl and cover them so they don't dry out.

Filter the cooking liquid from the mussels and mix it with 1¼ cups/300 g. of water.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. Divide the cherry tomatoes into 4 wedges and slice the onion thinly.

Chop the parsley leaves until you have 2 Tbsp. and then chop the celery leaves until you have 1 Tbsp. Mix them with the coarsely chopped garlic.To prepare the tiella, grease a baking dish with 2 Tbsp. oil. Distribute half of the potatoes, half of the cherry tomatoes, half of the onions, half of the minced garlic and parsley, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano cheese, half of the mussels, arranged with the shellfish facing up, and half of the rice. Repeat, forming a second identical layer. Add 1⁄2 glass of wine followed by the cooking water of the mussels.

Cover the tiella with a lid or aluminum foil, wrapping it completely, and bake at 400°F/200°C for 45-50 minutes. Uncover, and finish by cooking it for another 15 minutes. Check to make sure that the rice is cooked, otherwise, you'll have to cook for another 5-10 minutes.