Fisherman's Bread

Finely chop two medium tomatoes, add salt, a bit of olive oil, crushed basil, and let it sit for about fifteen minutes to release the juice. For the semolina bread, the harder and denser it is, the better — rub the sides with a peeled garlic clove.

Place the dry bread in a deep plate and pour tomato juice over it. Occasionally scoop the juice from the bottom of the plate with a spoon and pour it over the bread — when the mussels are ready (this will take about seven minutes), it will be soft enough to enjoy eating but remain crispy inside.

Crush the garlic with a knife. Pour some oil into a saucepan, add the garlic, parsley stems, and a few slices of hot pepper, and place it on the heat. When the garlic smells strong, add the mussels to the saucepan, cover with a lid, and cook, shaking or stirring the contents. After a few minutes, the mussels will open and release fragrant sea water.

Soak the croutons with the juice of the mussels along with garlic and pepper. You can discard the parsley stems and sprinkle the bread with fresh leaves. Top with chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and remaining olive oil.

Scatter the opened mussels on a plate with croutons. Half can be removed from their shells (it's convenient to use an already freed shell, which is sharp enough), while the other half can be left as is — and let the diners not hesitate to dig in with their hands.