Night of the Hats

2kg of mussels in their shells 1 onion 2 shallots 2 cloves of garlic Some parsley 50g butter 150 ml white wine 150 ml of water Clean the mussels and remove the beard. Any mussels that remain open should be discarded. Peel and chop the onion, the shallots, the garlic, and also chop the parsley. In a very large saucepan melt half the butter then sweat the onion and shallots for ten minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the water, the wine, and half the parsley and simmer for another eight or nine minutes. Turn up the heat a little, then add the mussels and cover with a lid. Cook for five minutes, shaking occasionally; it's the steam that does the work so keep the lid on. After five minutes check inside; the mussels should all have opened. If there are a significant number unopened put the lid back on and cook for longer. Tip the mussels into a colander, catching the liquid. Remove any mussels that haven't opened. Cover the mussels to keep warm. Pour the li...