Cozze alla marinara

When my boyfriend and I do the groceries together and we walk past the fish department in the supermarket, he always asks, hopeful: "Mussels?" And I answer 'no' almost every time, because the mussels are sold in packagings of 2 kg and we can't possibly eat that much in a single meal. However, last monday I had to give in and I prepared the lot in a way that is very common in Southern Europe. Cozze alla marinara is my favourite mussel recipe, together with the Sardinian Zuppa di Cozze, which is a version with tomato souce and is also divine. Of course you could eat the shellfish as a main course, but the mussels are also perfect as a side dish, for they are easy and quick to make and they taste even better when they are cold, in my opinion. If you are preparing for a fancy seafood dinner, imagine how festive it would look to have a rich plate with fresh mussels on the table. You can easily make it in advance without any worries and use all your energy for the more time-consuming dishes. If you prepare a big amount of mussels and don't manage to eat it all, you can keep them in the fridge for a couple of days. But the best thing, of course, is to invite people over to enjoy this beautiful dish together! And if you are done eating, you can always paint the shells like I did one time (see picture below).

Ingredients, serves 4 - 2kg fresh mussels - 1 bunch of flat leaved parsley - 1 glass of dry white wine - 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped - 1 small fresh chilli pepper, finely sliced - extra vergine olive oil - black pepper - 3 fresh or peeled tomatoes, chopped (optional) To serve - a couple of slices toasted country bread Give the mussels a good rinse and remove the ones with broken shells. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a very very big pan (if you don't have one, you could use two seperate skillets, keeping in mind the most important thing is that the mussels are well spread on the bottom of the pan and shouldn't be piled up). Fry the chopped garlic shortly. Making sure the heat is high, transfer the mussels to the pan and as they start to open, add a glass of wine, some black pepper, the chilli pepper, most of the parsley and if you desire, the chopped tomatoes. Cover and wait until all mussels are opened, then keep them on the fire for a few more minutes in order to make the taste of the sauce intensify. Remove from heat, add what's left of the parsley for a touch of extra colour. Serve hot or cold. One way of serving is by putting a slice of toasted bread on your plate and then cover it with a pile of mussels and a couple of spoons of the sauce. That way the bread will spunge up all those lovely flavours! Buon appetito!