Mussels in Hot Rolls with Minted Cucumber Salad

This is a traditional Scottish meal.

Ingredients

• 15 -20 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tablespoons chopped basil
• 4 largish rolls
• 2 tablespoons chives
• Dash white wine
• 1 cucumber
• Fresh mint
• Dash white wine vinegar

Instructions

1. Carefully hollow out the centers of the rolls. Retain the top to use as a lid.
2. Finely slice and then chop the leeks and boil with the ginger till cooked. Remove.
3. Put the mussels into a large saucepan and pour in enough wine to cover them by about a half an inch. Add four tablespoons of the butter, a very good dash of salt and black pepper, and the basil. Cook on medium heat until all shells have opened (About 2½ - 3 mins). Discard any unopened mussels as these mussels are unfresh.
4. Remove mussels from each shell and keep the remaining liqiud. Reduce liquid and add leeks, two more tablespoons of butter and a large handful of chives. Turn down heat and add the cooked mussels and the lemon juiceto the mixture.
5. Spoon the mixture carefully into the hollowed out rolls and heat rolls until crispy
6. To make the cucumber salad, whilst rolls are in oven, simply peel cucumber, finely slice, then salt and add finely chopped fresh mint and a dash of white wine vinegar

Serves four