Stuffed mussels

Ingredients:

500 g live mussels

400 g tomato puree

1 glove garlic

½ glass of dry white wine

100 g breadcrumbs

1 egg

20 g grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

3 sprigs parsley

1 piece of hot chili pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Remove the beard and brush the mussels thoroughly under running water, discarding any broken ones. Put them in a pan with the wine and the parsley sprigs. Close the lid and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until they open  up. Lift out the mussels from the pan, strain the cooking liquid and set aside.  Put the tomato puree in a wide pan with the peeled garlic, half a glass of water, a small piece of chili pepper, a pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Put the lid and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the mussels’ cooking liquid and cook for another 10 minutes and then discard the garlic and the pepper. Meanwhile, mix in a bowl, the breadcrumbs, the chopped parsley, the grated cheese, an egg and a pinch of salt. Fill the valve containg the mollusc with this mixture, keeping the other half-shell attached. Once they are filled, add them to the tomato sauce,  bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Before serving, stir a few times to flavor.

Baby spinach salad

Baby spinach salad with bacon and green apple

Ingredients:

200 g baby spinach

100 g bacon cut in two thick slices

1 green apple

The juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

pepper

Clean and wash the spinach thoroughly, dry them well dabbing them with a clean cloth or paper towels. Collect them in a bowl. Wash the apple, remove the core, cut into slices and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut the bacon into strips, brown it in a non-stick pan and then place on kitchen paper to lose the excess fat. Add the apple and bacon to the spinach.  In a bowl, dissolve the mustard with the oil and some freshly ground pepper. Emulsify the ingredients with a fork and season the salad with this sauce before serving. 

Panna cotta with strawberry sauce topping

Panna cotta

Ingredients:

75 g sugar

4 egg whites

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

200 g strawberries

500 ml fresh cream

125 ml whole milk

Butter

Lightly beat the egg whites with the sugar. Then pour the cream and milk and work the mixture with the aid of a hand whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Butter the ramekins and pour the cream into them. Place the ramekins into a baking dish and fill it with hot water (not boiling) up to 2/3 of their height. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. Once ready, let cool and then remove the panna cotta from the ramekins, place on serving dishes and put in the fridge. In the meantime, wash the strawberries, dry well and whisk them with the icing sugar. Pour the strawberry sauce on the panna cotta and serve.