Mussels with leeks, dijon mustard and cider

I made these mussels for my dad a few weeks ago, he brought home some lovely mussels and I wanted to try something different with them. This is a great recipe with the sweetness of the leeks and the bold flavor of the dijon mustard. I would definitely recommend trying this one.

How to prepare mussels:

• Make sure they are fresh and eat them on the day you buy them.
• Throw away and mussels which are broken and ones which do not close if tapped or lightly squeezed.
• Do not soak the mussels in water as they will drown, give them a few rises instead to get rid of any dirt or grit.
• Clean the mussels under running water - take a knife and remove any barnacles from the outside shell, also pull out the 'beard' which is the fibers which emerge from the mussels shell (you can pull this out or cut it off with a knife).
• You can store them in a bowl under a damp cloth in the fridge until they are needed.

Serves: 2 as a main or 4 people as a starter

Ingredants:

• 1kg mussels
• A small knob of butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large or 2 medium leeks, finely sliced
• 200mls of cider
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2–3 tablespoons double cream
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley

Recipe:

1. In a large saucepan melt the butter with the olive oil, add the leeks on a medium heat and allow to soften (not to colour as they will get bitter).
2. Turn up the heat then add in the cider and mussels and cook with the lid on for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels have opened up.
3. The stir in the cream, mustard and season with salt and pepper. Stir though some parsley and its ready to serve with crusty bread to mop up that great sauce.

Enjoy :)