Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1.5kg fresh black mussels
1 large leek
1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl unsalted butter
2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 large anchovies (from the jar, drained on paper towel)
200ml dry sherry (eg. Amontillado)
250ml thickened cream (or double cream)
1 small bunch of chives, chopped
Directions:
Clean, scrub and pull any beards off the mussels and leave to strain in a colander. Wash the leek, then slice in half lengthways then chop into 1cm slices.
Heat up a wok or large pan with the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté leek, garlic and anchovies for about 10 minutes or until vegetables have softened and anchovies have dissolved and broken down into the oil.
Add the sherry and cook for a minute and then add in the cream. Dump in the mussels (along with any brine), give it a quick toss. Stick the lid on and cook mussels for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the shells have opened (discard any that remains closed).
Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon into a large bowl and set aside. Cook the cream sauce for about 3-5 minutes until reduced by a third. Season with black pepper and/or sea salt to taste (it should be salty enough though from the anchovies and mussels) then stir in the chives.
Serve mussels with plenty of sauce spooned over, a sprinkle of extra chives and with hot crusty bread.