Mussel, bean and cavolo nero soup

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Mussels300 g
• Cooked cannellini beans120 g
• Tuscan kale100 g
• Garlic1 clove
• Cherry tomatoes80 g
• Extra virgin olive oil10 g
• Whole wheat bread1 slice
• Chili pepperto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: gluten, shellfish,

In season: November – March

Method

1. Scrub the mussels under cold water and pull off the beards, discarding any that are open or broken. Put them in a lidded frying pan over high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking, until they open; discard any that stay closed, shell half of them and strain the liquid through a fine sieve.
2. Wash the cavolo nero, strip out the central rib and cut the leaves into strips; wash and halve the cherry tomatoes; crush one garlic clove and keep another for the bread; rinse and drain the cannellini beans.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat with the crushed garlic and chilli for a minute, until the garlic is just golden. Add the cavolo nero and tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until the cabbage has wilted and is tender.
4. Add the beans, the mussel liquid and a ladle of water and cook for 8 minutes over medium-low heat, until well flavoured. Taste and add salt only if needed: the mussel liquid is already salty.
5. Add all the mussels, shelled and in their shells, and warm for a minute. Toast the wholemeal bread, rub it with the reserved garlic and serve it with the soup.