Crostini with mussels and cherry tomatoes

To prepare crostini with mussels and cherry tomatoes, start by cleaning the mussels. Place them to a large bowl and, after washing them carefully under running water, use the back of a knife blade to remove all scale and barnacles 1. Scrub mussels individually to remove the beard from the valves 2. Under fresh running water, rub the mussels vigorously using a steel wool pad or a stiff brush 3.

Brown some of the olive oil in a non-stick pan with the unpeeled garlic clove, which you can remove when it turns golden brown 4. Pour the cleaned mussels 5 into the oil and immediately add the white wine 6.

Place a lid on the saucepan 7 and let it cook on high heat for 5 minutes, which is the time needed for the mussels to open. When they are ready 8, pour the mussels in a strainer, taking care to place a bowl underneath to collect the cooking liquid 9.

Now you can shell the mussels 10, keeping aside the filtered cooking liquid and some whole mussels to serve them next to the crostini (toasted bread) 11.
Next, finely chop the fresh parsley 12.

After washing them, cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters 13. Pour the remaining olive oil in another pan and brown the other unpeeled garlic clove 14, add the cherry tomatoes 15.

As soon as the garlic is golden brown, remove it from the pan with a pair of tongs 16, add the mussels' cooking liquid, lower the heat and let it evaporate for 5-6 minutes 17: avoid overcooking the tomatoes until they fall apart. Now add the shelled mussels 18 and stir to blend all the flavors for a couple of minutes.

Finally, add the chopped parsley 19 and freshly ground pepper.
Now slice a baguette crosswise to obtain 12 slices 20, which you can then place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil 21.

Toast the crostini in a static oven preheated to 360° F (180° C) for 5 minutes, or in grill mode for 2 minutes: in either case, turn each slice over about halfway through. When the crostini are ready, place them on a chopping board 22 and, with the help of a spoon, garnish each one with some tomatoes and 2 mussels 23. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and pepper 24. Your crostini (toasted bread) with mussels and cherry tomatoes are ready!