It’s definitely worthwhile taking the mussels out of their shells for this wonderful spaghetti dish.
Clean 3 kg (6½ lbs) of mussels. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the mussels, cover and cook over high heat until all open. This should take about 5 minutes. Drain the mussels and keep the liquid. Reduce the liquid by half and set it aside in a bowl. When the mussels are cool remove them from their shells, chop them, add them to the liquid and set aside. In a large pan heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 3 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic, 1 crumbled dried red chilli and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano. Cook until the garlic just begins to colour then add 150ml (5 fl oz) of dry white wine. Reduce for a minute then add a can of peeled and chopped tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted water until just al dente. When the tomato is reduced, add the mussels and their juice, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and add 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. Heat the mussels then add the spaghetti. Mix well and serve drizzled with a little olive oil.
*This recipe is adapted from River Cafe Cookbook Two by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.
michelle picker cooks 