Quick mussel soup

Babiche Martens

This soup with mussels and parsley pesto which can be whipped up in no time at all. Parsley pesto is a great option in winter when other herbs are in short supply.

Parsley pesto

1 cup	Chopped parsley
1	Lemon, zest and juice
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
¼ cup	Olive oil

Soup

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, chopped
2 cloves	Garlic
6	Tomatoes, chopped
1 cup	Wine
20	Mussels, in their shells (Main)
4 servings	Bread, to accompany

Directions

1. First, make pesto. Place parsley, lemon, garlic and oil in a blender and whizz until mixed. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot heat oil. Fry onion and garlic for 2 or 3 minutes to soften but not brown. Add tomatoes and wine. Simmer for 8 minutes to completely soften tomatoes.
3. In a separate large pot, cover mussels with ½ cup water and bring to boil. Steam mussels until they have all opened. Strain through a colander, reserving liquid. Re-strain liquid through a sieve to ensure there is no grit. Remove mussels from shells and chop roughly, reserving a couple for garnish.
4. Add the strained liquid to tomatoes, bring back to a boil, add mussels and heat through.
5. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of parsley pesto.

More of Angela's soup recipes

• Broccoli and blue cheese soup
• Lamb and chickpea soup