Middle of the table mussels with dry cured Bacon

• servings: 6

Ingredients

4 rashers dry-cured bacon

2kg Irish mussels

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 small onion, diced

50ml white wine

150ml cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Crusty bread, for dipping

Directions

1 Grill the bacon until crispy, then set aside. Wait until they've cooled, then cut them into strips.

2 Wash the mussels in cold water. Discard any open mussels.

3 Place the mussels, garlic, bay leaf, onion and white wine into a large pot, and cover with a lid. Place on the hob for about six minutes, shaking the pot a couple of times during cooking. The mussels should all have opened — remove any that remain closed.

4 Add the cream, pepper and chopped parsley and cook for a further two minutes. Remove from the heat and add the strips of bacon.

5 Serve with crusty bread to soak up the scrumptious sauce.