MUSSELS WITH TOMATO, CHORIZO, SHERRY AND PARSLEY

Serves 4-6

I’m very grateful for the fact that we had a good varied diet growing up at home, and mussels were one of the things that I loved to eat. This is a wonderful dish, inspired by the holidays we had in Spain when I was a child.

Ingredients:

2kg (4lb 6oz) mussels in their shells

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

200g (7oz) chorizo, peeled and diced

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

600g (1lb 5oz) very ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

60ml (2½fl oz) dry Fino or Manzanilla sherry (optional)

4 tatblespoons parsley, chopped crusty bread to serve

Method

1 Wash the mussels very well in the sink with lots of fresh running water. Discard any open mussels or any that are not tightly shut and don’t close when tapped, or ones with broken shells. Pluck off any visible beards — the fibrous tufts sticking out on the flat side between the two shells. Set the mussels aside in a bowl in the fridge.

2 Heat the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the mussels. Add the chorizo and fry a little, but do not allow to get too dark. Next, add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and sherry (if using) and, finally, the mussels. Put the lid on and turn the heat up to high. Shake the pot from time to time and cook until the mussels have opened — about 5 minutes.

3 When all the mussels have opened (discard any that remain closed), sprinkle with the parsley and divide among the bowls. Serve with crusty bread.