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Tiella di Riso, Patate e Cozze

Tiella di Riso, Patate e Cozze reads umami 6.1, salinity 5.5 and marine & briny 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Puglia main, about 2 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.0 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.1 · Salinity 5.5 · Marine & Briny 5.1 · Richness 4.0 · Allium 4.0 · Funk & Ferment 2.1 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Sweetness 1.9 · Fruity 1.8 · Sourness 1.8 · Bitterness 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Earthy 1.3 · Floral 0.9 · Nutty 0.6 · Heat 0.6 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (13)

• mussels — 1500 g
• potatoes — 800 g
• arborio rice — 250 g
• tomatoes — 300 g
• onion — 150 g
• garlic — 9 g
• courgettes — 200 g
• pecorino romano cheese — 60 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 20 g
• extra virgin olive oil — 83 g
• salt — 7 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
• water — 400 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 5 min (1 hr 50 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 73.2 kcal, 6.2 g protein, 1.4 g fat, 8.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Open the mussels raw with a short knife over a bowl, catching every drop of their liquor, and discard the empty top shell of each so the mussel stays on the half shell. This is how it is done in Bari and it matters: mussels steamed open first will be overcooked by the time the rice is done, and the raw liquor is the seasoning of the whole dish. Strain the liquor through muslin and reserve it. Any mussel that is already open and does not close when tapped goes in the bin.
2. Oil a wide earthenware or metal tiella generously. Lay in half the onion, then a layer of potato slices, overlapping, then half the tomato, a scatter of garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and pecorino.
3. Arrange the mussels on their half shells in a single layer, shell down, meat up, packed tight.
4. Sprinkle the rinsed rice evenly over and between the mussels, in a layer no more than 1 cm deep, then add the courgettes, the rest of the onion and tomato, and the remaining garlic, parsley, pecorino, salt and pepper.
5. Finish with a final overlapping layer of potato, brush with the remaining olive oil, and pour the reserved mussel liquor and the water down the side of the dish, not over the top, until the liquid reaches just below the top potato layer. The rice must be covered but the top potatoes must not swim, or they will steam pale instead of browning.
6. Bake at 190 C for 55 to 65 minutes, uncovered, until the liquid is gone, the rice is tender, and the top layer of potatoes is browned at the edges and slightly crusted. Do not stir it at any point.
7. Rest 15 minutes before serving so the layers set enough to lift out in wedges. It is eaten warm rather than hot, and there is a long-standing argument in Bari over whether courgettes belong in it at all.
8. Substitutions: other short-grain rice can stand in for the arborio rice.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Sicilian Fish Soup — Italian
• Fregola con Arselle e Bottarga — Italian · Sardinia
• Salada de Polvo — Portuguese
• Spaghetti alla Puttanesca — Italian
• Seafood Cioppino — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, marine & briny mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.