Mussels, Fregola & Smoked Christmas Ham Recipe

In making sure everyone is well fed on Christmas day, it's standard that we over cater... every single year. With the biggest extravagance being the beloved Christmas ham. Ignoring Google's advice of 150-200g per person, we buy ham legs the size of whole pigs. By Day 5, post-Christmas, we've all suffered through the dining roster of toasties, omelettes and countless carbonaras, trying to devour as much leftover ham as humanly possible. 

So, to inspire some creativity in the kitchen – and to stave off food-boredom this Christmas – Three Blue Ducks' Darren Robertson has given us his tasty recipe for a little one-pot wonder: Mussels, Fregola and Smoked Christmas Ham. You are welcome. 

• 1 x large red chilli
  
• 150g diced Christmas ham
  
• 1kg mussels 
  
• 60ml olive oil 
  
• 3 x French shallots, sliced thinly 
  
• 3 x garlic cloves, sliced thinly
  
• 200ml dry white wine
  
• 1 x tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  
• 1 x teaspoon honey
  
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes or 400g of over ripe chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 x sprigs of thyme
  
• 100g fregula pasta
  
• A hand full of basil and parsley leaves
  
• 1/2 lemon
  

1. Thinly slice the chilli, removing the seeds first if you don’t like it hot.
   
2. Wash and remove the beards from the mussels, now you’re ready to cook. 
   
3. Put a wide, heavy pan on the stove, adding half the oil.
   
4. Turn up the heat to high and fry off the ham until golden.
   
5. Turn down the heat to medium-low
6. Add in the French shallot, garlic and chilli and cook without colour for two minutes, stir with a wooden spoon to keep things moving.  
   
7. Crank up the heat, and add in the white wine, vinegar, and honey. 
   
8. Cook out for 2 minutes or until the wine has evaporated. 
   
9. Add tomatoes, thyme and 300ml of water. 
   
10. Simmer for 10 minutes.
    
11. Add the fregola and cook into sauce for around ten minutes. 
    
12. Just before the fregola is cooked, throw in the mussels and give a little stir.  
    
13. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are all open. 
    
14. Remove from the heat. 
    
15. Finish with herbs and olive oil and lemon juice, season if necessary and serve straight away with crusty bread.
    

This tasty recipe is from Three Blue Ducks' Darren Robertson. 

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