Ingredients (5 servings):
½ kilo long grain rice (Carolina)
1 kilo fresh or frozen mussels
150-180 g. oil
6-8 fresh spring onions
2 green and 2 red peppers
Salt, black pepper, cumin (optional)
Lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
Some dill
Instructions:
Wash the mussels and the rice well. Put the finely chopped onions and the oil in the pot and sauté them over low heat. When they get browned, add the peppers and then the rice. Mix twice to three times without adding any water. Add the water later, preferably warm. You should be very careful with the amount of water because the success of the recipe depends on the proportion of water and rice. That is, we use one part of rice and two and a half parts of water. Then, add the finely chopped dill, the salt and all the other ingredients (except for the lemon). When the rice is about to boil, add the mussels in the pot. It is important to add the mussels at this time of the cooking process because otherwise the mussels will shrink and get stiff. When all the liquids have been absorbed, remove the pot from heat and set it aside, stirring well. Cover the pot with a towel and put the lid on top of it. After a while, stir again so that the rice will absorb all of the liquids and then add the lemon.
Click here for the book of Father Epiphanios 'The cuisine of holy Mount Athos'.
