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Tiella of barley, potatoes, and mussels

17/11/2023

The tiella of barley, potatoes, and mussels is a typical dish of Pugliese cuisine, rich in flavors and perfect for those who love seafood. Here is how you can prepare it.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of fresh mussels
  • 300 g of pearl barley
  • 3 medium potatoes
  • 400 g of peeled tomatoes
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 100 ml of white wine
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • As much water as needed

Preparation

  1. First, clean the mussels well, removing the byssus and scraping the external surface with a small knife. Rinse them under cold running water and set aside.

  2. In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Once the onion has become transparent, add the mussels and cook covered for a few minutes until they open.

  3. Deglaze with white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Remove the mussels from the skillet, discard any that have not opened, and shell most of them, leaving some whole for the final decoration.

  4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the pearl barley in plenty of salted water following the cooking times indicated on the package. Drain and set aside.

  5. Cut the potatoes into thin slices and the peeled tomatoes into pieces.

  6. Take a baking dish (preferably terracotta) and start composing the tiella by making a layer of potatoes, then one of barley, one of shelled mussels, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper between layers.

  7. Repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients and finish with a drizzle of oil and some mussel shells for decoration.

  8. Add a little water to the dish (just a bit on the bottom) so the tiella does not dry out too much during cooking.

  9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and the potatoes are soft.

While the tiella is in the oven, I could tell you that this dish has peasant origins and that the term “tiella” is a dialect term that specifically refers to the terracotta pan in which the dish is traditionally cooked. Tiella of barley, potatoes, and mussels is a maritime variation of the more rustic wheat tiella, and it perfectly combines the taste of the land with that of the sea.

Tiella of barley, potatoes, and mussels