Two meal mussels

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until until fragrant and not coloured.
2. Add the mussels with the water and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes, gently shaking the pan occasionally or until the mussels start to open. Mussels are easily overcooked, so pay close attention. As soon as the mussels are cooked, remove them from the pan using tongs and shake off any vegetables back into the pan. Do not discard any vegetables, you will need these for your second mussel dish.
3. Arrange the cooked mussels in a bowl and sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice on them. Eat right away while hot!
4. For meal 2, save the mussel shells and remaining juices and return them to the saucepan with the cooked vegetables. Add the basil stems (not the leaves) and the potato. Cover the ingredients with the second quantity of water and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Using a pair of tongs, carefully remove the mussel shells and basil stems from the saucepan, discarding them both. Add the basil leaves, a few drops of lemon juice and ground black pepper to taste to the saucepan. Carefully transfer this mixture to an upright blender and puree until smooth. Serve hot or cold depending on the season, if cold outside serve it hot - if it's hot outside serve it cold. A nice addition in summer is a teaspoon of natural yoghurt in the bottom of your bowl before ladling over your soup.