Spaghetti pasta ‘con le cozze’ (with mussels)
- 1.5kg mussels
- 400g spaghetti pasta
- 2 cloves garlic, 1 whole and 1 finely chopped
- 100ml white wine
- 500g cherry tomatoes – see not in step 4
- 4 tablespoons (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Place the mussels in a colander under cold running water. Use a firm brush to scrub the mussels and remove the hairy ‘beard’ by pulling it downwards towards the hinged-end of the mussel shell. Discard any mussel shells that are chipped, broken, or damaged in any way.
Place a large pot with water on high heat and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti pasta and a pinch of salt to the boiling water and cook until ‘al dente’ – refer to the cooking time specified in pasta packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the whole garlic clove. Cook without browning the garlic (approximately 1 minute). Add the mussels and pour over the wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened and wine evaporated. Discard any unopened mussels. Transfer the cooked mussels and any pan juices to a large bowl.
Place the remaining olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic. Cook without browning the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 5 or until the tomatoes are slightly softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Cherry tomatoes need to be ripe and flavorsome for this recipe. Use quality fresh cherry tomatoes only in the summer months of the year.
Drain the pasta. Add the pasta, cooked mussels and cooking juices (from the mussels) to the frying pan and toss well over the heat for 1 minute to soak up lovely flavour. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the heat. Add the parsley and toss to combine.
Divide the Spaghetti pasta ‘con le cozze’ (with mussels) among 4 serving bowls– Buon appetito.
