This is one of the tastiest and easiest ways to cook and eat mussels. Make sure you get fresh mussels as they do not keep for very long. Also make sure they are well cleaned! By adding the bread it makes it a much more filling and also soaks up most of the juice.
The juice from the mussels really makes this dish and by reducing the tomato by half it will make it much sweeter and richer. Have a good weekend!
Ingredients - Serves Two
2kg of washed and de bearded mussels
100ml of dry white wine
2 cloves of garlic sliced
2 tblsp of chopped flat leaf parsley
200g of tomato passata
2 slices of toasted sour dough bread ( ripped into small pieces)
2 tblsp of olive oil
1 finely chopped red chilli (seeds removed)
Method
In a large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, add 1tblsp of olive oil one clove of garlic finely sliced. Cook for one minute then add the mussels. Place the lid on top and cook on a high heat for one minute then add the white wine and cook for a further three mins or until the mussels have all opened. Pour the contents of the saucepan into a colander and a bowl so you keep all the liquid. Strain the liquid and keep to one side.
When the mussels have cooled down, remove half and take them out of their shells and leave to one side.
Rinse the saucepan you cooked the mussels in then add 1tblsp of olive oil and one clove of garlic finely sliced and the chopped red chilli. Cook for one minute then add the tomato passata and the mussel juice. Reduce by half then add the toasted bread, chopped parsley and the mussels in the shell and the ones out of the shell. Cook for one minute and check the seasoning. Serve in hot bowls with a good drizzle of olive oil on top. Try this with a glass of full bodied rose.