MUSSELS AU GRATIN

Ingredients · Mussels: 1 lb (500 g) - (in their water)
· Breadcrumbs: ¾ cup (100 g)
· Grana Padano DOP cheese: 1 tbsp - (grated)
· Garlic: 1 clove
· Lemon: peel 1
· Parsley: 0.3 cup (10 g)
· Organic Extra virgin olive oil Il Cavallino: 2 ½ tbsp (30 g)
· Black pepper: to taste

Preparation To make the mussels au gratin, first of all clean them, discarding any open mussels and keeping only the closed ones. After rinsing them under running water, remove the beard that sticks out of the shells, by pulling outwards. Open the mussel gently by inserting a small knife at the point where it splits and go all the way around, making sure that when you open it, the mussel remains intact and attached to the shell. Repeat the process with all of the mussels and keep their water, filtering it through a strainer, as this will be used later on to wet the breadcrumbs.
As you open the mussels, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Next, prepare the breadcrumbs. Pour them into a bowl, together with the grated Grana Padano cheese, the chopped fresh parsley, the zest of the lemon, a crushed garlic clove and a sprinkling of black pepper.
Now pour in 2½ tbsp (30 g) of Organic olive oil Il Cavallino and (150 g) of filtered mussel water. Stir to achieve a smooth, moist mixture.
Using a spoon, stuff the mussels, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake them on the top shelf of a conventional oven preheated to 390°F (200°C) for 12 minutes and then on maximum power in broil mode for another 3 minutes.
Once cooked, take your mussels au gratin out of the oven and serve immediately.