3584 Moscioli, spaccasassi and the delicatessen of Conero area

As I told you in Pasta section, "moscioli" di Portonovo are worth a new thread, shared with spaccasassi, vongole and other products of the Conero area.

First of all: moscioli. The translation into English is mussels, black sort of seafood, which grows big and very very tasty in the clean and wonderful waters of Portonovo, a bay very close to Ancona (20 minutes from the very centre of the town).
Some great pictures of Portonovo can be seen here: [url]http://www.portonovo-an.com/foto.htm[/url]
The spaghetti con i moscioli described by Marc Millon here ([url]http://www.quaypress.com/winefood/devonkitchen/spaghetticonlemoscioli.html)[/url], better if tasted just in front of the sea in one of the tiny restaurants of the bay of Portonovo, are a must.

Spaccasassi: you won't find them anywhere. It's a special herb which grows between Portonovo and Numana, among the rocks (hence the name: spacca sassi, which means "stone breakers"). Fantastic when boiled or cooked with rice (very hard), the "risotto con spaccasassi" is unbelievable.
A picture of spaccasassi can be found here: [url]http://www.angelorecchi.com/eng/places/conero/2sorelle_eng.htm[/url]

These are the best specialties. Moreover, in the agriturismi and aziende agricole of the area ([url]www.conero.it)[/url], you can find a great honey and a fantastic range of cookies. I prefer the ones of Luigi Pieri. The Conerelli make me addicted.