A treat from the sea, Mussels, Provence style

Mussels are a treat of the sea I believe. Just boil them in some beer or white wine with some chopped vegetables and a full load of fresh parsley, is heaven to my taste buds. This recipe is a slightly different, but still delicious way to cook up a big pot of mussels.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tablespoon thyme chopped
½ tablespoon basil, finely chopped
4 dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
50 g pitted black olives, chopped
150 ml white wine
2 kg mussels, ready to cook
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Heat some olive oil in a wok and fry the shallots. Add the garlic, thyme, basil, dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir the olives in and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat the white wine into a large pan. Add the mussels, put the lid on and bring to a boil. Cook the mussels for 6-8 minutes until the mussels open, shaking the pan frequently. Spoon the mussels into four warm bowls. Pour 200 ml of the mussel broth to the tomato sauce. Boil the sauce slightly and pour the sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle the dish withthe chopped parsley.

Serve this dish with some French baguette, french fries or a salad.

When you unpack the mussels, you should immediately separate good from the bad before you cook them. Nowadays, mussels that are packed in leak-proof containers are all slightly open and close themselves after a few minutes. This is because the mussel is relaxed in its protected environment (packaging). When it's removed from the packaging, it responds slowly. Hold the clam open with the convex side under cold running water and tap simultaneously against the shell. After a few minutes the shell closes. Mussels whose shells or so damaged, should discarded.