Crostini With Mussels - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Crostini
olive oil
8 slices stale bread (use something peasant-style with a good crunchy crust)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
Mussels
2 lbs mussels
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 hot chili pepper, minced very fine (such as Thai bird chili or red serrano)
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation

Fill a high-sided saute pan with olive oil 1\" deep. Place over medium heat. Dip bread in vinegar, then let drain on clean towels for a few minutes. Fry bread in hot oil until golden brown and crunchy. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Clean the mussels - remove beards, scrape, and rinse. Discard any that do not close when tapped. Place in a large enough pot, cover, and cook over high heat until they open. Discard any which do not open. Drain mussels, reserving the liquid. Add water to bring the volume to 1 cup. Remove mussels from shells and set aside, discarding shells.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan. Add garlic and chili pepper and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mussels, reserved liquid and bay leaves. Simmer 5 minutes, then add wine. Cook another 5 minutes, then add parsley.
Place 2 crostini in each bowl. Top with a ladleful of mussels and cooking liquid.