moules en mirepoix bouillon

This is such a simple but tasty dish that I thought it deserved a fancy name, mussels in mixed vegie broth just doesn't do it justice. Besides, as I was cooking it, my dad and my oldest son were playing with the translator app on dad's iphone, translating English sentences into French. It seems to be the entertainment every Thursday evening when mum and dad visit.

3 kgs of fresh mussels in their shells
2 medium carrots finely diced
2 large shallots finely diced
1 celery heart finely diced (the heart is the sweet, pale centre of the celery)
2 tsps of citric acid
8 cloves of crushed garlic
2 tbsps of oil
1/3 of a cup of finely chopped fresh parsley

Clean the mussels by removing their beards and rinsing under water.  Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Toss in all the vegetables including the garlic and sautee for about 5 minutes. Stir through the citric acid and then add the mussels and cover with a lid. Cook for several minutes, shaking the pot or stirring a few times throughout. I can't give a time because every time I cook mussels, the timing is different. The trick is to keep checking them and when they just open, they are done. Once cooked, stir through the parsley. (You may find it takes a little practise to perfect it but it's certainly worth it. I often find that quite a few don't open so I remove the open ones and cook the unopened ones a little longer). Contrary to popular belief, there is no need to discard any mussels that don't open, you just prise them open with a knife, carefully of course. Serve with some good crusty bread.

They're certainly not the most attractive food now are they?