Lasagne

One of my all time favourite meals, to make it easier you can use a few leftover portions of frozen Bolognese which you have defrosted, if doing this just follow the recipe from the white sauce onwards.  I use a small square dish, around 10 inch long, 5 inch wide and about 2 inch deep.  If making the Bolognese from fresh there should be more than required so just freeze the leftovers for your next time.  I do not pre-cook the pasta, I have never found the need but check the packet if you are not sure.

Serves 2 (generously!)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes

Basic Bolognese

500g lean steak mince

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic
500g carton passata (sometimes called creamed or sieved tomatoes)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Few grinds of pepper
Fresh basil (optional)

White Sauce
25g butter
25g flour
1 pint milk
Salt & pepper

Approx. 100g dried lasagne sheets
Grated Parmesan or Grana Padano

Chop your onion and fry gently in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for around 10 minutes until translucent.

In the meantime chop your garlic finely or use a garlic crusher, add to the translucent onion and allow to fry for a few minutes.

Tip in the packet of mince and turn the heat to allow the mince to brown, use a fork to separate and keep it moving.

Once all the pink is out of the mince add the carton of passata  salt, a few grinds of pepper and the sugar, stir and cover.   Turn the heat down and let it blip gently for an hour.

To make the white sauce, add the flour and butter to a pan over a medium heat, allow the butter to melt and the paste to cook out for a few minutes.  Add in the milk a little at a time stirring vigorously to ensure no lumps.  Once all the milk is incorporated allow the white sauce to bubble gently adding some salt and pepper.  Once the floury taste has cooked out it (about 10 minutes) it is ready.

To assemble the lasagne, add a small amount of Bolognese and white sauce to the bottom of the dish, add the lasagne sheets breaking them if necessary.  Repeat the process with the final layer being the pasta sheets topped with the white sauce only.  Finish with the grated cheese and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Gravlax on Oatcakes with Cornichon & Mustard Sauce

A great little canapé for pre dinner drinks, the cornichon gives a lovely piquancy to the rich salmon.

Makes approximately 24 canapés
Preparation time: 15 minutes

150g Gravlax or smoked salmon
24 oatcakes (approx. 300g box)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
½ tsp caster sugar
1 tsp chopped dill
2 tsp finely chopped cornichon



Slice the salmon into strips about 1 inch thick and two inches long. Drape one piece of salmon over each oatcake.

Add the mustard, sugar, oil and vinegar into a bowl and stir vigorously until it is emulsified then add the chopped dill and cornichons.

Top each salmon oatcake with a spoonful of the dressing and serve immediately.

If you want to make this in advance, cut the salmon and prepare the dressing and refrigerate. Just before serving assemble on top of the oatcake.

Oriental Steak Salad

This is perfect for a light lunch and is low in fat but very tasty, you could use either rump steak or sirloin, whichever you prefer, if you go for the thin cut steaks then reduce the cooking time slightly.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

2 steaks (sirloin or rump)

Salad bag
100g rice vermicelli noodles
3 spring onions
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Few drops sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp chopped ginger
¼ tsp chopped garlic
¼ tsp chopped chilli
Little flavourless oil for brushing on the steaks
Salt & pepper

Soak the noodles per the packet instructions, refresh in cold water, drain and set aside.

Heat a griddle pan on high and in the meantime brush the steaks on each side with some oil.  Once the pan is smoking season the steaks well on both side with salt and pepper and add them to the pan.  Leave to brown without moving it around for approximately 4 minutes.

While the steak is cooking chop your garlic, ginger and chilli and add them to a bowl with the soy, sugar, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.  Mix and taste to check it is too your liking.

Turn the steaks over and leave to cook for another 3 minutes on the other side, this timing should give you medium rare on a steak that is about an inch thick.  After the 3 minutes remove the steaks from the pan and rest them in a warm place for about 5 minutes.

Split the salad and rice noodles into two portions in shallow bowls and chop the spring onions. 
 
Once the steaks have rested pour the resting juices into the dressing bowl and carve the steaks into slices, top the salad with the sliced steak and pour the dressing over the top.

Midweek Paella

This is a great way to use up a spare chicken breast or piece of pork hiding in your freezer, chorizo keeps for ages in the fridge or freezer so it’s not an extravagant meal.  If I’m making this dish at the weekend I would use mostly fresh seafood, clams, mussels and squid picked up at the fishmonger.  However this recipe is really easy and quick for after work.  You also don’t need a paella pan, I use a large frying pan when making this at home.

Quick note: where a risotto and paella differ is in the stirring of the rice, a creamy risotto is stirred constantly which releases the starch from the rice and gives it a creamy texture.  Paella should be left unstirred as much as possible to keep the rice short and separate, ideally the very bottom of your paella should catch slightly providing a lovely crust which is my favourite bit! 

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

1 onion

100g chorizo (I use half a chorizo ring)

250g of pork fillet/chicken breast or combination of both

Pinch of saffron

1 pint chicken stock (stock cubes are fine)

150g Paella rice

50g frozen peas

1 or 2 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon                                       

Chop the chicken or pork into fine strips and fry them in your frying pan with a tablespoon of the oil.  After a few minutes and once the meat is brown remove it from the pan and set aside.

Roughly chop the chorizo and fry this over a gentle heat, chop your onions to a medium dice and add these to the pan as well.  You shouldn’t need any oil as the chorizo leaks a lot out but if you think it is too dry and is not frying then by all means add the second tablespoon of olive oil. 

After a few minutes add your paella rice, toss the rice in the oil and then add your stock and saffron.  Give a gentle stir or better still just gently shake the pan to mix everything together then after about 5 minutes add the browned meat in amongst the rice.

Leave to simmer on a low heat while the rice cooks, you might need to rearrange your rice gently if the middle is cooking faster than the sides.  After about 20 minutes taste the rice, you need to use your head with this, if the rice is still chalky and undercooked but the pan is very dry then add some more stock and cook until tender.  Also at this stage, add in your peas and leave them for 5 minutes or so to heat through. 

Serve in bowls, garnished with optional parsley if you have any, squeeze with lemon and enjoy!

Bolognese - Simple Method

I know that most Bolognese recipes contain lots of ingredients and vegetables but I always use this simple method that my Nonna taught me.  The secret in this recipe is the cooking time, although it seems like ages you only need to give it a quick stir every 20 minutes and it should be tender and delicious.  There will be leftovers from the recipe below which I freeze and once I have two or three stored I defrost them and use them to make homemade lasagne, it cuts out half the work.  Serve with a nice salad and some crusty or garlic bread and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Serves 2 (plus leftovers)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes

500g lean steak mince

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

500g carton passata (sometimes called creamed or sieved tomatoes)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Few grinds of pepper

Fresh basil (optional)

Chop your onion and fry gently in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for around 10 minutes until translucent. 

In the meantime chop your garlic finely or use a garlic crusher, add to the translucent onion and allow to fry for a few minutes. 

Tip in the packet of mince and turn the heat to allow the mince to brown, use a fork to separate and keep it moving. 

Once all the pink is out of the mince add the carton of passata , salt, a few grinds of pepper and the sugar, stir and cover.  Turn the heat down and let it blip gently for at least an hour and a half. 

Half an hour before it is ready put your pasta water on to boil and serve with any pasta shape you fancy. Finish the sauce with the basil if you have it and as with all pasta dishes add a spoon or two of the sauce to the cooked and drained pasta and stir well, finish with an extra spoon of sauce and some Grana Padano or Parmesan.

Korean Spicy Pork - Daeji Bulgogi

This is a dish I loved at our local Korean restaurant and once I found the correct chilli paste it became easy to make at home.   The pork is served with boiled rice and peanut sauce, which you wrap in a lettuce leaf like a fajita.  The chilli paste might be hard to come by but I found it in my local Chinese supermarket, it’s called gochujang paste and if you Google it you can see a picture and find stockists.  If you can’t be bothered wrapping in the lettuce just serves this like a stir fry but you may want some sort of cooling salad or vegetable as it’s spicy!

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Pork:

500g pork fillet

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic

½ tbsp ginger

2 tbsp palm sugar

2 tbsp rice wine or sherry

2 tbsp gochujang paste

1 large onion

Peanut Sauce:

2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp palm sugar

1 tsp gochujang paste

75 ml water

Boiled rice and round or iceberg lettuce leaves to serves

Slice the onions into half moons and add them to a bowl along with the finely chopped ginger and garlic and the rest of the marinade ingredients.  Cut the pork into fine strips and add it into the marinade, stir well, cover and refrigerate for anything from half an hour to overnight.

Heat a large frying pan or wok and add in the pork and its marinade, in the meantime put your rice on to cook.  Continue to fry the pork over a medium to high heat for about 15 minutes until the pork and onions are cooked through and the stir fry is quite dry.

For the peanut sauce put all of the ingredients into a cold saucepan and heat gently whilst stirring to amalgamate the water and peanut butter.  Allow the sauce to gently bubble until the pork and rice are ready, if it gets too thick then add a little more water, I like a consistency similar to double cream.

When it’s ready serve all the element separately and start wrapping!

Homemade Burgers with Special Sauce

Normally a burger recipe would have egg and breadcrumbs in it to help bind the mixture but when I’ve not had either or both ingredients I just adapted it and I’ve never had any problems.  By all means if you have fresh breadcrumbs add a handful along with one egg, they will taste lovely either way.  The sauce is my take on the famous Big Mac sauce and it’s pretty good.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

For the burgers:

250g lean steak mince

1 small onion

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp American mustard

1 tbsp fresh or dried parsley

Few grinds of nutmeg (optional)

½ tsp salt

Few grinds pepper

Salad, cheese and burger buns for serving

For the sauce:

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp American (tomato) burger relish

1 tbsp American mustard

Finely chop the onion and parsley and add it to a bowl along with the remaining burger ingredients, using your hands mix thoroughly and shape into patties slightly flatter and wider than the bottom of your burger buns.  Leave to refrigerate for about half an hour. 

Grill or fry the burgers for 15 minutes over a medium heat turning often to get an even colour on both sides.

For the sauce just mix the three ingredients together and taste, if it is too sharp add a little more mayonnaise or if it is too creamy add some more relish and mustard.

Grill your buns and add cheese to your burger if wanted and serve.

Curried Chicken & Grapes in Pitta

I know this sounds like a bizarre combination but trust me it tastes amazing and is a brilliant lunchtime snack!  My friend's mum forced one on me when I was a teenager and I've been making it ever since, it’s like a twist on Coronation chicken.  The cooked chicken can be from your leftovers, roasted in the oven and cooled or if you're busy just pick some cooked chicken up from the supermarket. 

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes


250g cooked chicken (breast, dark meat or a mixture of both)
150g white seedless grapes
3 tbsp mayonnaise
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp salt
3 pitta breads


Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces and add it to a bowl along with the mayonnaise, curry powder and salt.  Slices the grapes in half and add them into the mixture and stir well until all the curry powder is thoroughly mixed in, if it looks a little dry add in some more mayonnaise.


In the meantime toast or grill your pitta breads, half them and stuff with the chicken mixture. 

Chicken in Tomato Sauce

This is a simple traditional family dinner of ours which my Nonna used to make, although the cooking time seems long the preparation time is not, it’s just a matter of giving it a little stir every 20 minutes or so.

With regards to the chicken, I prefer dark meat but breast works well too.  If using all breast then I would suggest reducing the simmering time to around 35 minutes.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 chicken pieces (breast, thigh or drum, skin on preferably)                                               

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

1 carton passata or creamed tomatoes (500g)

Few basil leaves

Salt & pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Pasta

Parmesan

Start with the chicken, heat a little olive oil in a medium sized pot and add your chicken pieces, let them gently sear on the outside over a medium heat.  You don’t need golden colour just so that the chicken starts to turn white.  In the meantime chop you onions, a medium dice is fine.  Add the onions in and around the chicken pieces stirring and getting them to bottom.  While your onions are softening chop or crush your garlic and keep aside for the moment.

After about 5-7 minutes your chicken should be white on the outside, the onions will have softened and you can add the garlic.

After two minutes or so the rawness will be out of the garlic so add your carton of tomatoes, turn the heat to low.   Add in a few grinds of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and a few basil leaves torn roughly.   Once it starts to bubble gently you can give it a quick stir and then leave it, lid on to slowly cook.  Simmer for one hour (or less if using all breast)

If serving with pasta, boil your favourite type as normal in plenty of salted water.

To serve, take a large spoon of the tomato sauce and add it into the pasta pot with the drained pasta and coat the pasta well adding more sauce if needed.  Traditionally you would eat the pasta with the sauce as a first course followed by the chicken with some salad and crusty bread but quite often we eat the pasta and chicken at the same time.

 

Sweet Potato Mash

Not entirely just sweet potato this mash is a lovely accompaniment to any main course.  It was introduced to me years ago by a New Zealander friend and what makes it special is the addition of onions.  The original recipe was adding fried red onions after the potato was mashed but since then I have also used fried spring onions, finely diced raw white onion and chives to great success.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

200g white potato
300g sweet potato
1 large carrot

½ white or red onion, 2 spring onions or a bunch of chives      

30g butter
½ tsp salt
Seasoning to taste

Start by prepping the vegetables, as they cook at different times I suggest cutting each to a different size, about 3 inch pieces of sweet potato, 2 inch pieces of white potato and 1 inch pieces of carrot to ensure even cooking.  Add them into a large pan of cold water with half a teaspoon of salt, bring to the boil and cook until tender (about 30/40 minutes)

If you are using fried onions then sauté them in little bit of olive oil until they turn golden.  If you fancy the sharp taste of raw onion or chives then slice them as finely as possible and set aside.

Drain the vegetables when they are tender and mash them for a few minutes, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste and continue mashing until everything is incorporated.  Finely stir in your onions and serve.

My Bhelpuri

We tasted this dish at our local Indian restaurant and they call it Bhel and Papar which as far as I can establish is a made up name.  When trying to figure out how to recreate this wonderful snack I came to understand that there are a million different variations of this popular chaat, so I decided to make mine up from what ingredients I had available. 

The base of my recipe is Sev Mamra, which I found in my nearest Morrisons and I think Tesco also sell it,  a mixture of puffed rice, gram flour straws, peanuts and spices.  To that you add fresh ingredients to turn it into a savoury chutney which is amazing with poppadoms but it must be assembled at the last minute or it goes soggy.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: none

100g Sev Mamra

½ red onion

1 tbsp mango chutney

1 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 lime (juice of)

1 tbsp chopped raisins

Finely dice the red onion as small as you can, chop the coriander and parsley and mix in a bowl with the lime juice, mango chutney and raisins. 

When you are ready to serve mix in the Sev Mamra until everything is incorporated.  Taste at this point and add more lime juice for sourness or mango chutney for sweetness to taste.   If you feel the Sev Mamra is not spicy enough then by all means add some dried or fresh chilli too!

If you want to make the dish in advance then prepare the fresh ingredients and leave them in the fridge, adding the dry Sev Mamra just before serving.

Antipasti Platter

An antipasti platter is not a recipe but it is a great suggestion if you are having people to dinner.  The colours are gorgeous, the cooking time nonexistent and the preparation easy.  It is a dish that everyone enjoys and it leaves you time to concentrate on the main course.  My only tips would be to take some time over the presentation, be generous and serve it with some nice bread and definitely some grissini.  Below are favourites that look good and are readily available in any shop.

Cooked meats: Salami, Parma ham, Mortadella, Bresaola
Cheese: Mozzarella, chunks of Parmesan or Pecorino, Bel Paese
Pickles: Gherkins, baby onions, pickled mushrooms
Vegetables: Roasted peppers, artichokes, griddled courgettes
Extras: Olives, feta stuffed peppers, grissini

Chicken in a Curry Broth

This certainly is not a proper curry but it is a nice way to get a curry flavour without too many calories and with simple store cupboard ingredients.  You can use any vegetables you have in the fridge and it’s a good way to use up left over roast chicken.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

2 pieces of chicken (i.e. leg or breast whichever you prefer)

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

½ tsp fresh ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp mango chutney

1 litre chicken stock

1 tbsp vegetable oil

100g mushrooms (cauliflower is good here as well)

1 courgette (mange tout, green beans and frozen peas also work well)

½ tsp salt

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and roughly slice the onions into half moons and chop up the mushrooms into quarters.   Add in the mushrooms and onions and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes until they start to colour.

Add in the raw or cooked chicken along with the chopped garlic and ginger, after a further minute or so add in the curry powder and continue to fry to cook out the curry powder a little.

After 5 minutes add in the mango chutney, stir to coat everything in the chutney and curry powder and then add in the chicken stock and salt.  Allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

At this point heat any naan or chapattis that you wish to serve and add in the chopped courgette to the chicken broth.  Simmer for a further 5 minutes and then serve in bowls. 

Mackerel Pate

Although you can buy this ready made quite easily I think you can achieve a much better result at home as you can adapt it to your tastes.  It’s great garnished with any pickled gherkins or beetroot that you have handy and served with oatcakes or melba toast.  For the chopped herbs either parsley, dill or chives work well or if you can use all three!

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: none

200g smoked mackerel fillets

75g cream cheese

1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp chopped herbs (e.g. parsley)

Juice of half a lemon

Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp paprika

Few dashes of Tabasco or hot sauce

Pepper to taste

Oatcakes & pickles to serve

Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and put them into a bowl.  Using a fork mash the fillets until they are broken up and flaked, if you spot any bones remove them.

Add the cream cheese and mayonnaise and continue mashing until you reach a pate like consistency.  Start adding the remaining ingredients and taste as you go.   It’s all about personal preference so add as much lemon or Tabasco as you like.

Serve in small ramekins with any pickles you have to hand and some oatcakes.

Sweetcorn Fritters

Sweetcorn Fritters


These addictive little fritters are an old family favourite.  I enjoy them as a snack with a glass of fizz but they are brilliant served with roast chicken or to liven up any cold Sunday roast leftovers.   If you want a spicy version add some sliced spring onions and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes or paprika to the below recipe.

Makes approximately 15 small fritters
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

1 beaten egg

75g plain flour (or self-raising if it is all you have)

50 ml milk

165g tin of sweetcorn

½ tsp salt

Vegetable oil for frying (about 1cm deep)

Put the flour and salt into a bowl and add the milk and beaten egg, mix vigorously until there are no lumps.  Add the sweetcorn and about half of the liquid from the tin and stir into the batter.  The consistency should be like emulsion paint.  If it is too thick add a little more liquid from the tin or some milk and if it is too thin add a little extra flour.

Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan until it is moderately hot, you can test the heat of the oil by dropping a small bit of mixture into it, if it starts to fry and sizzle gently it should be ready.

Carefully drop tablespoons of the mixture into the oil and fry gently on one side for about 3 minutes until the sides are golden and little bubbles appear on the uncooked surface.  Be careful as the sweetcorn can sometimes spit!  Turn them over and cook on the other side until crispy and golden.

Drain the excess oil onto some kitchen paper and serve as soon as possible.  When frying in batches you can keep them in a warm oven whilst you fry the rest.

Sardinian Meatballs

This is my Sardinian nonna's recipe for meatballs, the raisins in it reflect the Moorish influence on this beautiful Italian island.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1hr 30 minutes

500g lean steak mince

1 clove garlic

1 handful raisins

1 small egg

1 handful breadcrumbs

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

500g carton passata

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

Chop the parsley and garlic finely and add them to a bowl, add in the mince, egg, breadcrumbs, raisins and a few grinds of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt.  Use your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and shape the meatballs and drop them carefully into the oil.  Fry them in batches until brown on all sides.  Set them aside once browned.

Wipe out the pan and add another tablespoon of oil over a medium heat and chop your onions, add chopped onion and fry until translucent.  Finely chop the garlic and add it to the onions, fry for a minute and then add the passata, sugar, grinds of pepper and about a half a teaspoon of salt. 

Gently add the meatballs into the sauce being careful not to break them up.  Turn the heat down to a low simmer and let the meatballs cook in the sauce for about an hour to an hour and a half.

Serve with your favourite pasta or some bread.

Scallops with Asparagus, Pancetta and an Anchovy Butter

This is a fantastic starter that is easy to make but full of complex flavours. 

Serves 2
5 minutes preparation time
10 minutes cooking time


6 large scallops (cleaned)
4 rashers of pancetta
4 anchovy fillets (stored in oil)
10 spears of asparagus
15g unsalter butter
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbps olive oil


Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, snap the woody ends off of the asparagus where the spears naturally bend.  Add the asparagus and begin frying over a medium heat.


Add the rashers of pancetta and allow to colour, also keep turning the asparagus to ensure even cooking.  Once the pancetta is starting to brown turn over and fry for another minute or so until crispy, remove from the pan and allow to drain on some kitchen paper.


Add the scallops to the pan with the asparagus and fry on one side for 2 minutes until golden brown, in the meantime add in the anchovy fillets to the pan and squash them with a wooden spoon until they start to melt and break up.  Turn the scallops over and add in the butter and lemon juice.  Stir the juices into the melting anchovies while the scallops finish cooking - this should only take another 2 minutes.


Arrange the asparagus spears on the plate and top with the scallops and crispy pancetta, finish off with the juices from the pan.


Again, no salt is added as the anchovies and pancetta provide the seasoning.

Mussels in Spicy Tomato Broth

This is a delicious and simple dish which hardly takes any time (apart from cleaning the mussels)  The rule of thumb with mussels is throw them away if they are open before you cook them and closed after you have cooked them. 

Serves 2
10 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time

1kg of mussels (beards removed)
1 large can of chopped tomatoes (415g)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
125ml dry white wine
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
Small handful flat leaf parsley
1tbsp olive oil

Finely chop the onion and add it to a saucepan to the olive oil, allow to fry over a medium heat for a few minutes until translucent.

Finely chop the garlic and add it to the fried onion and allow to cook for a minute or so.  Next add the chopped tomatoes, chilli flakes and a few grinds of black pepper.

Keep the heat at medium and allow to bubble until the sauce starts to thicken and dry out a little (approx 5-7 minutes)

Once the sauce is quite thick turn the heat to high and add the mussels and white wine.  Put the lid on and gently shake the pan.

Leave to steam for a few minutes and then turn the heat back to medium and give the mussels a stir, put the lid back on.  Roughly chop the parsley and set aside.

The mussels are ready when all of them are open, this should take around 5 minutes.  Add the chopped parsley and give the sauce a taste.  They shouldn't need any additional seasoning as the mussels tend to be salty enough.

Serve in large bowls with crusty bread and plenty of napkins!