Canary mussels in wine sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 kg mussels
• 10 cloves garlic, OR:
• 1 bulb(s) garlic, fresh, halved
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 ½ chili peppers, red
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 2 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 2 carnations
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp vinegar (sherry vinegar)
• ½ liter dry white wine
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• Pepper, black from the mill
• ½ tsp oregano, dried
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• some thyme, for garnishing

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Place the mussels in clear, cold water for a final blanching, rinse thoroughly, and then sort them: discard any open mussels that do not close even when lightly tapped, or whose shells are damaged. Brush the others under running water and remove any tough beards. Drain the mussels in a sieve. Peel the garlic cloves or halve the bulb. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté the garlic for 5 minutes. Chop the chilies and add them to the garlic along with the thyme, cloves, paprika, and bay leaves. Deglaze with the vinegar and wine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to full power and add the mussels to the pot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels have opened. Meanwhile, wash the parsley, spin dry, and finely chop. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened after cooking; they may be spoiled. Transfer the remaining mussels to a large bowl and drizzle with the stock, leaving the sandy residue. Serve sprinkled with parsley and thyme leaves. In Spain, the mussels are cooked with an unwaxed lemon sliced ​​into slices and a sliced ​​onion.