Midya Boreg (Mussel pie)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 cups minced onions
- 3 cups uncooked rice
- 1/2 cup currants
- 18 teaspoon ground allspice
- 18 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
- 6 dozen mussels
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- Heat oil in heavy saucepan.
- Add onions and saute until wilted.
- Stir in rice, currants, spices and salt to taste.
- Pour in water, stir, and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat, cover saucepan, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- If liquid evaporates before rice is cooked, add a little more.
- Stir in pine nuts.
- Set aside.
- Scrub mussels, remove beards and discard any with broken shells.
- Place mussels in large skillet and set over heat.
- As soon as they start to open, remove mussels and discard shells.
- Discard any mussels that do not open.
- Remove shells over cup or bowl to keep the mussel liquid.
- Filter the liquid through a double layer of moistened cheesecloth.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread one-quarter of the rice on the bottom of each of two 10-inch ovenproof dishes.
- Push some of the rice up around the edge to make a ''shell.''
- Arrange half the mussels on each bed of rice and sprinkle with parsley, dill and lemon juice.
- Reserve 8 to 10 tablespoons of the rice and spread the rest on top of the mussels.
- Dribble a few tablespoons of the reserved mussel liquid over the rice.
- Combine 2 tablespoons of the mussel liquid with the yogurt; add the reserved rice and spread half of this mixture evenly over each pie.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.
- Serve hot.
olive oil, onions, rice, currants, ground allspice, ground cumin, salt, water, pine nuts, mussels, parsley, dill, lemon juice, plain yogurt
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5774 (may not work)