mussel saganaki with feta & fennel / mejillones saganaki con feta &hinojo *

 

This Greek inspired dish gets its name from the cooking vessel: the sagani or saganaki.

serves 4

1kg fresh mussels or clochinas; cleaned, debearded and rinsed

N.B. When cleaning and debearding the mussels it is important to discard any broken or dead mussels: tap any open mussels - if they close they are alive.

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion; finely chopped

1 fennel bulb; finely chopped

1 green pepper; finely chopped

2 garlic cloves; finely chopped

2 bay leaves

200g cherry tomatoes; blitzed

50ml white wine

150g feta cheese

½ -1 large, red chilli; finely sliced

small bunch of large, flat leaf parsley; leaves only, roughly chopped

small bunch of dill; roughly chopped

Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion, fennel, pepper, garlic, bay leaves. Season and cook over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.

2. Check the acidity of the blitzed tomatoes; balance with a little sugar if necessary. Add to the saucepan and cook for a further 5 minutes.

3. Add the mussels, cover and steam for a few minutes until they open.

4. Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining ingredients.

5. Serve with fresh crispy bread.