Le Cozze Farcire -- Stuffed Mussels

Instructions

Clean mussels thoroughly. Discard any that do not close. Put them in a sauce pan with the white wine and cook, over high heat and covered, until the mussels open. Throw out any that do not open. Remove the mussels from their shells, reserving the shells for use later.

Coarsely chop the mussels and put into a large bowl. Chop the prosciutto coarsely also, and add to the bowl. Also, add the bread crumbs, parsley,
garlic, ½ the olive oil, salt and pepper and the juice (wine) of the steamed mussels. Only add enough of the wine to make a very firm paste. Add a little at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Using the reserved mussel shells, stuff the mixture, from the bowl, into each shell half. Mound the mixture to overflowing, just bit. Add a
couple of drops of the remaining olive oil to each of the stuffed mussel shells. Place the oven on broil and put the mussels, on a cookie pan, under the broiler, close to the heat. You must keep any eye on the mussels. Broil until the bread crumbs are nicely browned. Serve hot, as an appetizer, with the lemon wedges.

Author's Comments

Although this may sound complicated, it is not. The most tedious thing is chopping the mussels and then stuffing the mixture back into the shells. Not to strenuous at all. A bit time consuming . . . nothing else. The recipe is very similar to Clam casino, only using mussels instead of the clams. Great dish for an appetizer, or snack while watching the game.

From my cookbook: The "Old Country" Italian Cookbook, by Donald J.P. La Marca

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