Mussels Rhenish style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 kg mussels
• 2 stalk(s) leeks
• 3 carrots
• ½ celery
• Water
• 1 onion(s)
• 250 ml white wine
• Water
• chives
• 1 pack of spice mix (mussel spice)
• dill
• Thyme
• Pepper, white

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

with black bread and butter

Wash and trim the leeks, carrots, and celery. Cut the leeks and carrots into thin rings, and finely chop the onions and celery. Place the mussels in a basin or bowl of cold water. Rinse under cold, running water, removing whiskers and sand. Do not eat broken or open mussel shells. Fill a large pot a quarter full with water and add the leeks, carrots, celery, finely chopped onion, mussel seasoning, and all the remaining spices. Heat the vegetables until soft (about 20-30 minutes). Add the mussels and white wine and simmer gently with the lid on for about 10-20 minutes. Shake the pot frequently during cooking or use a ladle to carefully lower the mussels back into the stock. Arrange the opened mussel shells on a soup plate and pour the stock over them. Serve with buttered brown bread. Mussels are eaten by taking an empty mussel shell and using it like tongs to remove the meat from the mussel. The only utensils needed are a spoon and a knife. The spoon is used, as with soup, to scoop out the liquid, and the knife is used to spread butter on the black bread. An empty bowl for the mussel shells should also be on the table. Of course, other bread can also be served. Accompany it with a cold beer or a good white wine.