For the Bruschetta you will need:
- The juice and zest of one lemon
- 10 twists of black pepper
- Three cloves of raw garlic brunoised
- 60 ml olive oil
- Freshly chopped curly parsley
- Loaf of seeded artisan bread.
To begin, in a large bowl zest and juice one lemon, then season with Maldon sea salt and black pepper, add your olive oil and raw garlic. This is the first thing in your beautifully toasted bread will soak up whilst piping hot off the grill.
Slice your bread and toast until golden brown on both sides, whilst the bread is still warm drizzle over your infused lemon and garlic oil. To finish add a little chiffonade of freshly picked curly parsley.
For the Mussels:
Just before beginning your mussels place a pan of water onto a high heat for your pasta heavily salt the water.
Ensure that you have cleaned your mussels from any beards that maybe attached to them or any barnacles on their shells. Once your mussels are clean and have been looked over, store them in the bottom of your fridge in a damp tea-towel.
If you are unsure of how to prepare a mussel you can also ask your fish monger to do this for you.
Forming a fragrant base for when you steam your mussels:
Firstly finely brunoise one large banana shallot, one red chilli with the seeds left in. 8 – 10 parsley stalks, and four garlic cloves.
Add these to a large a saucepan and cover with around 50 ml of olive oil to infuse, as this will take your mussels to the next level.
As mussels take around the same time to cook as the pasta ensure you have everything ready.
To begin place the pan onto a medium heat, once the olive oil has begun to lightly smoke and the aromats are soft and tender add in your mussels along with one small drinking glass of white wine, as this will help to generate steam which will then open your mussels.
Once your mussels are open and juicy, at this point discard any that have not opened. Begin to bring your pasta over using a pair of tongs, you want a little bit of the cooking water, as this helps to form an emulsion with the mussel cooking liquor.
Just to finish the dish, add the juice and zest of one lemon along with a hand full of finely chiffonade parsley.
This recipe is designed to be relaxed, as it would be the perfect dish to cook either outdoors or on a beach.
Serve into warmed artisan bowls, enjoy with a glass of cold Sauvignon Blanc along with family and friends.
The Gourmet Gent 