Recipe: Tiella di Cozze (Mussel Casserole) and Yogurt Carrot Cake redux
Recently we had my family over for an open house. We have been in our new place for a while now and not everyone had been here to see it. So we decided to do a luncheon. I had two ideas going into this party – I wanted to make something rustic and old-school hearkening back to the times that Italians stopped what they were doing to enjoy a nice lunch spread together out in the fields, on a big slab of wood turned into a table. Also along this theme, I really wanted to make something using ingredients that we already had at home.
Too many times when preparing for a party, I decide on a menu and then go and buy all the ingredients. This time, I wanted to challenge myself more and use what was around. We had been to the Farmer’s market the day before and had gotten our staples: potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, onions and beautiful bread. We also had a bag of frozen mussels in the freezer. So I decided to make a regional dish from Puglia, called Tiella di Cozze or Mussel Casserole – it is said to have descended from Spanish Paella. Since we were having a crowd, I also added some shrimp to the dish, which was topped off with a delicious bread crumb and parmesan topping! It was wonderful.
We served it with a nice green salad,Garlic-Rosemary Foccacia from Maria, the bread lady at the Farmer’s Market and finished with a
Yogurt Carrot Cake with Toasted Hazelnuts . Keep reading for the recipes.
Tiella di Cozze
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs mussels
1 lb shrimp
½ cup wine
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
salt & pepper to taste
4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
2/3 cup bread crumbs
½ TBS dried oregano
½ TBS dried tarragon
reserved liquid from shellfish
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Scrub and rinse the mussels well. Pull away beards and discard them. Throw away any mussels that have cracked shells or are open. Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Wash and pat dry. Put mussels and shrimp in a large sautee pan, add the wine and cover the pot. Steam them until mussel shells begin to open. Take the shellfish out of the pan – while doing this remove the top shell from the mussels and discard – leaving the mussel in the bottom half. Set these aside.
Spread olive oil in a casserole dish. Arrange a layer of onions over the olive oil. Add a layer of potatoes, squash, zucchini and tomatoes on top of each other. Then place the mussels in their shell as well as shrimp on top to make another layer. Salt & pepper to taste.
Combine cheese, bread crumbs and herbs together in a small bowl. Spread some on top of the mussels. Keep layering vegetables, shellfish, and breadcrumb mixture until all is used up. You want your top later to be the breadcrumbs. Pour reserved liquid down the sides of the casserole. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until veggies are tender. Scoop with a spoon to serve. Serves about 8, generously.
Yogurt Carrot Cake
I used a store bought carrot cake mix and instead of using oil, I used plain yogurt. I made whipped cream using Tahitian vanilla extract for flavoring and used the whipped cream to ice the cake. I then sprinkled the whole thing with chopped, toasted hazelnuts.
Cris - March 31, 2008 at 10:33 am
Jenn, what a lovely treat! When I loaded the page and I first saw the last picture I thought they were apples! We can not get those beautiful potatoes here!!! Yummy!
Judy - March 31, 2008 at 10:56 am
Oh Yummm! That looks incredible but I think that one of the only things that I won’t eat are mussels!!! Love the shrimp in there though!!!
Great idea on the cake! Very creative idea!
Bellini Valli - March 31, 2008 at 11:01 am
Everything sounds amazing Jenn. How did you know carrot cake is my old standby? It’s these kind of dishes that persevere and are talked about for generations:D
Catherine - March 31, 2008 at 11:02 am
Mussels! I’m obsessed with them lately. They are wonderful roasted in a cast iron skillet! I hope you had a wonderful time with the family. They are lucky!
Peter - March 31, 2008 at 11:25 am
Oh dear…no source of fresh mussels there? I’ll forgive you only because everything else would have been local.
Your casserole is definitely a meal…I like the tarragon/oregano combo.
Donald - March 31, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Jen, that looks great!
I love that cake and your improvisation.
Kimi - March 31, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Wow, what a delicious meal. I will try the using what I have method, I like the challenge! Well done.
courtney - March 31, 2008 at 3:46 pm
What a fantastic meal. I love mussels. I have to try the yogurt carrot cake as I just purchased a huge tub.
foodhoe - March 31, 2008 at 6:05 pm
that carrot cake looks delicious, as do the mussels and shrimp dish.
Kate - March 31, 2008 at 8:57 pm
those mussels look so inviting. sometimes u just gotta make the best of whats lying around.
Marie - March 31, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Jenn, Your meal looks, and sounded like a big hit. I love the top photo too!
Peter G - April 1, 2008 at 2:13 am
I bet you soaked up all that mussel goodness with the focaccia! Great recipe jenn..
Nina - April 1, 2008 at 2:59 am
I so agree with you. I so easily fall into the trap of planning and then buying what I need, but the most memorable meals we had, were the ones I made with what was available. Your meal, I’m sure was memorable!
Cakelaw - April 1, 2008 at 5:54 am
Ooohh, the mussel casserole with prawns looks lovely. A second helping please!
núria - April 1, 2008 at 9:15 am
How great to be with the family and share such a great bunch of dishes… I imagine you all like in the italian celebrations, big white tables outside, kids running and the tarantella in the air 😀
Ben - April 1, 2008 at 9:34 am
What I love from Mexican and Italian cuisines is that they are very rustic and bound to the fields, earth and sea. I should move to Florida and be your neighbor. I am sure we could come up with amazing food combinations :-p
Cheers!
Arlene (MOM) - April 1, 2008 at 12:01 pm
It was as good as it looks in the pictures. I was one of the lucky ones who got to eat it all!! 🙂
Mom
Aaron K - April 1, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Dear God that looks great! There’s something about muscles that makes my mouth water.
Aaron K - April 1, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Ok…..not muscles but MUSSELS! Big difference..hahahha.
GumbeauxInTheKitchen - April 1, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Jenn, I love that you used what you had for this meal. The mussels look yummy, as does the cake. DROOL!
The Leftover Queen - April 1, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Thanks Cris! Yeah, they kinda do look like apples, if you didn’t know – how funny!
Really Judy, you don’t like mussels? Wow! I could eat them everyday – but you could just sub in shrimp and maybe clams…clams would be good too!
Thanks Val! I love carrot cake too – next time I will make from scratch! 🙂
Oh, great idea Catherine! I never thought of roasting them in a cast iron skillet – I am gonna have to try that next time!
Thanks Peter! I love tarragon. So good with seafood dishes. I am sure there is a local source for mussles, but this was just what I had on hand, so I figured waste not, want not, you know?
Thanks Donald!
Thanks Kimmi! Yeah, it was a really fun way to challenge myself even more.
Totally Courtney – the yogurt was really delicious in the cake – it mde it so moist!
Thanks Foodhoe!
Absolutely Kate! I think that is so much fun making from what you have around!
Thanks Marie! It was really good and we actually had leftovers! 😉
You said it Peter! Such good stuff!
Thanks Nina – I hope it was.
Thanks Cakelaw! It was good enough to have seconds for sure!
Yeah, Nuria, that is for sure! That is what it was like when I was a kid – I sure do miss those days…
I agree Ben! I love rustic cuisines. Such great stuff. Yes, please, come on down – we would have such a blast! 🙂
Thanks Mom! 🙂
Bwhahahahahaha Aaron! That is way too funny! LOL! I am rolling on the floor over here!
Thanks Gumbeaux! 🙂
Deb - April 1, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Wow, those mussels and shrimps have caught my eye and what a great way to serve them! I have one concern, after already being cooked, do the mussels and shrimp hold up after 45 minutes in the oven? I am anxious to try this one!
Kevin - April 1, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I still haven’t tried mussels but they are on my list. That foccacia looks really good! Foccacia is one of my favorite types of bread.
Ginny - April 1, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Great photos! I want to grab one of the mussels! They look great!
Emiline - April 2, 2008 at 4:52 am
I’m all eyes for that cake. It has my name written on it. I love toasted hazelnuts. Can you believe hazelnuts are only available to us at Christmas time?
The Leftover Queen - April 2, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hey Deb! Yeah, I was worried about the time in the oven too – but they actually worked out just fine. I guess because there is so much liquid when you put them in the oven. It is a great recipe!
Hey Kevin! Mussels are soooo good! Easy to make in so many different ways. I think you will love them. This foccacia was wonderful!
Thanks Ginny! 🙂
I know, Emiline! It is like that in Florida too with the hazelnuts! I have my aunt bring me stashes of nuts (and other things) from Trader Joe’s when she comes to visit. I keep them in my freezer and ration them out until they are gone!