638- American Mussel Soup / حساء المحار الأمريكي

Ingredients :

4 Kiri cheese portions
500 grams (1 lb) mussels
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into strips
3 celery sticks, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cut into pieces
4 tablespoons canned corn
2 bay leaves
Some thyme branches
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
Water

Directions :

1– In a large saucepan, place the mussels and cover with boiling water. Place the pan on medium heat and cook for a few minutes until all the shells are open.
2- Drain the mussels, keep the cooking water, let them cool a little, remove them from the shell and cut them into pieces.
3- In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, garlic and salt and fry for 5 minutes while stirring regularly.
4- Add the potatoes, corn, bay leaves, thyme and pepper. Cover with 1 liter (4 cups) of mussels cooking water, add water if necessary. Mix, bring the water to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until the potato pieces are tender.
5- Remove the bay leaves, drain the vegetables and keep the cooking water, place them in a bowl, add the portions of Kiri cheese and mix with a plunging blender leaving a few pieces of unmixed potato and corn .
6- Add the cooking water little by little while mixing with a wooden spatula until you obtain the desired consistency.
7- Put back in the saucepan, add the cut mussels, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.