It means arriving at this time of year and putting myself in "dinners on the terrace" mode, with friends, in a lively environment and with cool recipes that take me very little work and without dirtying much kitchenware .

Without a doubt, the one that never fails is the steamed mussels, which is one of the easiest dishes to prepare that you can resort to. It is an inexpensive dish that everyone usually likes, and washed down with a good Ribeiro... What am I going to tell you that you don't know!

At home, I usually present it as you see in my skillet , with a rich splash. I always make it a few hours before so that the flavors are more concentrated. As for the mussels, if they are Galician and of much better quality, that way the mollusk will be bigger.

You can make them seafood style or French, also very tasty, but personally, the way I like them the most is how I bring them to you today, steamed, made in the simplest way but with which they do not lose flavor or nutrients. Mussels are usually rich in vitamins C, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, selenium and zinc. They are low in fat and provide a high protein content. In short, I love making them in my Vitalis pot and making the most of them.

Laura Ashley porcelain tray , WMF Vitalis pot and Le Creuset skillet pan

Ingredients (For 4 people)

• 1 kg of mussels
• 1 bunch of parsley or several bay leaves (this to taste)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of water and a little white wine to taste

For the hash:

• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 Italian pepper
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 onion
• Oil, vinegar and salt.

Preparation

Forcemeat

1. Cut the tomatoes on a board as small as you can and reserve in a bowl.
2. Add the onion, pepper and cucumber, all finely chopped. Season to taste.
3. Reserve a few hours until the dressing takes.

The mussels

1. Clean the mussels well. Reserve.
2. Pour water into the WMF Vitalis pot , about two inches high, place the basket and the mussels, garlic cloves and parsley on top, and pour the glass of white wine.
3. Close with the lid and place on the fire. When we see that the thermometer reads between 90-100º, count about 5 minutes, the time to open the mussels, and they will be ready.
4. Check that they are all open, in case some are missing leave a few more minutes.

Presentation

1. Remove the lid and remove the mussels, place them on a tray or in a skillet , and place the hash on the side.

Pot WMF Vitalis

Tips :

• The picadillo, the more chopped it is, the better. And as I have mentioned before, it needs several hours for it to take on flavor.
• The mussels I advise you to be of quality, it will be noticed in the size of the mollusk.

I hope you like it!