Stuffed Mussels With Pepperoni Rice

Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli of Don Angie in NYC found their inspiration for this dish in paella and the stuffed shellfish dishes common in Italian American restaurants around New York. “There’s a great mussel flavor in every bite because you make a quick stock from the mussels while they cook and use that same liquid to cook the rice,” they write in their book Italian American: Red Sauce Classics and New Essentials: A Cookbook (out now!). Pepperoni—that familiar star of late-night dollar-slice pizza everywhere—stains the rice a deep red and gives it a nostalgic flavor. Letting the rice sit for a full 20 minutes after coming off the heat is key to finishing the cooking process. This is a great group project—gather around the table to clean, shell, and fill a mountain of mussels and you will be rewarded with a perfectly poppable party-ready bite—or 10.