Mussels with Paprika

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 3 pounds mussels, beards removed and rinsed
• 5 sprigs parsley, stems discards, leaves chopped
• 1 lemon, cut in half

Directions

1. Set a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Stir in the garlic and cook just until you can smell it, about 30 seconds. Add the paprika, mix it in thoroughly, and cook for a couple seconds.
2. Scatter the flour into the pan and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Pour in the water as you continue whisking, then raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium so the sauce bubbles steadily, and cook until it has thickened and tastes developed, about 10 minutes. If it still seems too loose, bring it back up to a boil over high heat and cook until it reduces enough. Season with salt and pepper at the end.
3. Stir in half of the chopped parsley, then add all of the mussels. Use a wooden spoon to mix them through the sauce, cover the pan, and leave them over medium heat. Stir now and then, about every other minute, until the shells have opened, about 5 minutes. Throw away any mussels that stay closed. Squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon and stir.
4. Finish the mussels with the rest of the chopped parsley. Add more lemon juice if the pot needs it.