Mussel zuppa (mussel soup)

Method

1. Put all the mussels into a wide frying pan with no liquid at all and place them over a medium heat. Cover the pan and shake it to help the mussels to open up.

2. Once they are all open, take them out of the pan and strain their liquor.

3. Reserve the liquor, discard any mussels which have remain closed and set aside the remaining open mussels.

4. Add the garlic and olive oil to the pan and fry gently for 5 minutes.

5. Add the parsley and the passata. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and stir together thoroughly.

6. Add the cooked mussels, their reserved liquor and the wine and mix together well.

7. Cook briskly for about 4 minutes, then take off the heat.

8. Arrange the toasted ciabatta bread in the bottom of a wide bowl. Drizzle a thin stream of olive oil over the bread slices, then pour the mussels all over the bread. Serve at once.