Mussels

• 3 pounds mussels

• 1 ½ cups Bloody Mary mix

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 1 t. Tabasco sauce

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Salt to taste

Pilaf

• 2 T. plus 1 t. olive oil

• ¼ cup chopped onion

• 1 cup long grain white rice

• 2 cups water

• ½ t. salt

• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Wash mussels in sink with cold water and remove and discard any beards.  Drain them and put in a large sauce pan with the remaining  ingredients.  Cook, covered over high heat stirring occasionally until all mussels have opened ( about 8 minutes).  Drain mussels, reserving broth and remove them from their shells.  You should have about 1 ½ cups of mussel meat and about 1 ½ cups of broth.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Set aside.

For the pilaf, heat 2 T. of oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and add the water and salt.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile oil four small ramekins each with about a 1 cup capacity with remaining 1 t. oil.

At serving time, reheat the mussels in the mussel broth. Spoon about ½ cup of rice into each of the oiled bowls and spread it onto the bottom and around the sides of each bowl to create a nest in the center.  Press one quarter of the
mussel  meat into the center of the rice in each ramekin.  Press more rice on top
of the mussels to enclose them, pressing well on the rice so the mixture holds
together.  Unmold the rice onto four warm plates and spoon the hot mussel broth around the rice.  Sprinkle the parsely on top and serve.