Italiano
Mussels, potato sticks and rice
This recipe, based on a traditional one, is from Chef Pietro Penna of the Casamatta al Vinilia restaurant in Manduria. We pair it with a Collio Friulano 2020 Ronco Blanchis.
Ingredients for 4 people:
160g Carnaroli rice, 10g extra-virgin olive oil and 10g pork fat.
For the mussels: 2kg mussels, 200cl white wine, 2 garlic cloves, 10 parsley stems and 50cl oil.
For the Parmigiano Reggiano sauce: 30g milk, 30g Parmigiano and 10g butter.
For the parsley sauce: 100g parsley, 100g delicate EVOO, 50g vegetable broth, 30g boiled potatoes, salt and pepper.
For the potato sticks: 300g matchstick-cut potatoes, 1 liter water 30g salt and frying oil.
Directions:
Carefully clean the mussels and open them by frying them briefly in hot oil with the parsley stems, garlic and white wine making sure they maintain their form without becoming gummy. Shell the mussels and keep to the side. Filter and keep the juice.
Cook the rice in a pot for around 12 minutes with some oil adding little by little the juice from the mussels as you would with a risotto. Let the rice cool in a gastronorm pan.
Prepare the Parmigiano sauce by mixing together and heating all the ingredients (milk, butter and Parmigiano) to 60°C. Blend and keep to the side.
For the parsley sauce, blanch the parsley and then cool it down in ice water. Drain a press dry before blending it with the other ingredients (potato, broth and EVOO). Salt and pepper to taste.
Rinse under running water the potatoes that have been cut matchstick size in order to wash off any excess starch. Soak the potatoes over night in a salt solution, made with a liter of water and 30g of salt, then drain and dry them. Fry at 140°C until they are crispy. Salt if necessary.
Melt the pork fat in a small pan.
Plate composition: Place a tablespoon of lukewarm rice at the bottom of a soup bowl, add 7-8 mussels on top and spread over some Parmigiano sauce, parsley sauce and a handful of potato sticks then drip three drops of pork fat on top.
Wine to pair:
(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Collio Friulano 2020 Ronco Blanchis
Bright straw yellow color. Surprisingly complex aromas of white peach, fresh almond, together with eggnog and hints of fresh mushrooms. Warm and savory taste, great body, enveloping and very typical of the Southern area of Collio. A small masterpiece.
Production Area: the Blanchis hill (ronco) with clay and eocenic marl soil.
Grape Variety: 100% (Tocai) Friulano, 30% of the grapes with botrytis. Growth system Guyot with 4830 vines per hectare.
Harvest: 12th, 15th and 21st September with a yield of 8 tons per hectare.
Winemaking: Vinification in stainless steel tanks with soft crushing of the whole grapes. Ageing 6 months in steel vats.
Alcoholic Content: 13,5% vol.
Serving Temperature: 10-12°C.
Suggested Food Pairing: Starters in general, pasta, seafood risotto, shellfish.
