Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

Mussels and bacon

cooked in cider

Steaming fresh mussels in cider with sauteed bacon

enhances their sweet-savoury taste to delicious effect.

Much of the flavour comes from the rendered bacon fat,

which'melds together with the cider and mussel juices

to create a tasty sauce. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to

mop up the sauce.

Scrub the mussels, removing their beards and discarding any that are
open and do not close when tapped. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan. When hot, add the bacon

and fry, turning, for 4-5 minutes until it has released most of its fat

and is golden brown all over. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for

another minutl

Tip in the mussels and pour in the cider. Cover with a tight-fitting lid
and give the pan a gentle shake. Steam the mussels over a medium-
high heat for 3-4 minutes until they have opened.

Remove the pan f rom the heat and grind over some black pepper.
Taste the juices for seasoning; you probably won't need to add extra
salt as the bacon and mussels should provide enough. Pick out and
throwaway any mussels that have not opened.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, remembering
to provide spare bowls for the discarded mussel shells.

SERVES 4

2kg live mussels

1 tbsp olive oil

l50g piece of prime

bacon (preferably

Old Spot), cut into

3-4 pieces

5-6 garlic cloves

(unpeeled), halved

few thyme sprigs

looml dry cider

black pepper

handful of flat-leaf

parsley, leaves only,

chopped

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