Paul's [recipe] Corner

Paul's Mussel Soup

1tsp butter
clove of garlic - chopped fine
one chilli - sliced fine
mussels - as many as you want 1.5 - 2 kilos for a good feed for two persons
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
one chilli chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of water
sea salt
black pepper freshly ground
bunch of flat leaf parsley

Melt butter in big pot and gently fry the garlic and chilli till aromatic - do not burn!! Add mussels and if you want a splash of beer or wine. Put lid on pot and turn heat up let cook for about 5 minutes or until all the mussels are open. Shake pan occasionally to encourage mussels to open. Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels - put mussels in a bowl and set aside in a warm oven - 85c or 185f. Strain the liquid from the cooking pan through a fine sieve and reserve the stock.

In the same pan over a low heat (don’t worry about washing it as it has already got some nice flavours in there) add the olive oil and then the garlic and chilli and gently cook until the garlic is translucent - about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, cooking stock from the mussels and the water and cook over low heat for 30 minutes at a gentle simmer. Add the mussels and allow the flavours to blend and the mussels to get up to heat and then taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in big deep bowls and sprinkle generously with the parsley, accompany with fresh crusty bread and a spoon to slurp up the fantastic broth.

Yum Yum Yum! As always play with the recipe, add more wine than water if you want or try it with beer instead of wine! Add chilli or not to your liking etc.