Spaghetti with mussels sauce is one of a seafood classic first course, which the taste of the mussels is emphasised by a simple tomato sauce flavoured with the cooking liquid from the molluscs.
Simple recipe, this yummy sauce it is great to taste! Fresh mussels and good quality of pasta durum wheat with a good tomatoes puree are the key ingredients for a great results.
I remember Nonno making this pasta for lunch every time I went to visit him, he used to make the best one out of any fish restaurant.
Here his recipe!
For 2 people:
200/240g Spaghetti durum wheat
1kg mussels
400g pelati (peled plum tomatoes) or tomato puree
50ml dry white wine
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
Parsley
Clean the mussels by washing them thoroughly under running water.
Scrape the shell to remove any encrustations and pull off the byssus. Place them in a large pot together with the parsley stalks, one garlic clove and wine over a low heat and cover with a lid. Wait for them to open, generally it takes 5-7 minutes. When they are ready, peel and set them aside in a bowl. Sieve the cooking liquid into it.
This is to avoid any mussels impurities released while cooking. In a large pan put the oil and one garlic clove over a medium heat.
When the garlic start to get golden brown and release the smell add the tomatoes puree and after a few minutes add the cooking liquid from the mussels and pepper and cook for about ten 6-7 min.
Add the mussels, salt to your taste and cook for 3-4 min or until you get a dense sauce and lost the wateriness look. Remove from the heat and the garlic clove.
Boil the pasta in abundant salted water and, just before draining it al dente, add a few ladles of cooking water to the saucepan, where your sauce is, then turn on the heat. Drain the pasta and place into the saucepan over a high heat for a few minutes, turning frequently until you get the creamy look.
Perfect done, enjoy!
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