Weekend recipe: Smoked mussel soup

INGREDIENTS

3 cups full cream milk

1 cup fresh cream

1 sachet Cream of Chicken soup powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 Tblsp butter

1 Tblsp Thai fish sauce (optional)

3 Tblsp dry sherry (optional)

2 tins smoked mussels

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

Mix the cold milk and soup powder in a pot and bring to a boil on low heat. Use a whisk and continuously stir. As the mixture becomes warmer it will thicken. As soon as the soup starts to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the garlic and onion until transparent. Add the mussels and use a fork to lightly “mince” the mussel meat. Add the sherry and fish sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Add this mixture to the chicken soup together with the remaining oil in the tin and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and parsley and stir through.

Serve with crusty bread or toasted ciabatta.