Green Lipped Mussel Soup

Ingredients

• 2 kg mussels
• ¼ bottle dry white wine
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek 
• 4 cloves garlic
• 50g unsalted butter
• 3 ripe tomatoes 
• A handful of rice 
• A pinch of saffron 
• A sprig of thyme 
• 1 teaspoon cracked pepper 
• 150mls cream 

Method

Place the mussels into a large pan with a glass of white wine.

Cover and steam briefly to open.

Drain in a large colander taking care to reserve all the cooking liquor.

Peel the onions, carrots and garlic and slice finely together with the well washed leek.

Melt the butter in the pan and cook these vegetables while the mussels are being opened.

Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve, taking care not to let any of the grit at the bottom of the pan fall through the sieve.

Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the pan when the other vegetables have softened.

Add half the mussels, the rest of the wine, the mussel juice, rice, saffron, thyme and pepper. Gently boil then add 500mls water. Simmer gently for about half an hour.

When the soup is cooked, liquidise it in a blender to make a smooth puree and pass through a sieve, pushing it through with the back of a soup ladle.

Gently reheat the soup with the cream and remaining mussels, check the seasoning and serve.

John Hawkesby’s Wine Suggestion:

Chardonnay

• Drylands 2006
• Goldwater 2006
• Sacred Hill Rifleman 2004