Spaghetti Alle Cozze

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS

With this mouthwatering spaghetti with mussels recipe, also known as spaghetti alle cozze in bianco, you can whip up a delicious Mediterranean meal in a matter of minutes. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare and can be served as a quick meal after work using mostly pantry ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 dozen mussels (about 1½ pounds)
• 1 pound fresh tomatoes
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 3–4 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• Salt
• 8–10 fresh basil leaves
• 1 pound spaghetti

METHOD

1. Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
2. Wash the mussels in several changes of cold water and remove any beards.
3. Peel the tomatoes and coarsely chop.
4. Peel the garlic and finely chop it. Finely chop enough parsley to measure 1 tablespoon and put it with the garlic, olive oil, and hot red pepper flakes in a deep skillet large enough to hold the pasta later. Place over medium-high heat. After the garlic has sizzled for about 15 seconds, add the wine. Let it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and cook for about 2 minutes, then shred the basil and add it to the sauce. Continue to cook the tomatoes until they begin to break down into a sauce, about 3 minutes more.
5. Add about 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling pasta water, add the spaghetti, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until very al dente, about 1 minute less than you normally would.
6. While the pasta is cooking, put the mussels in the pan with the sauce and cover. Cook until all the mussels have opened, 3 to 4 minutes (if any mussels don’t open, they are probably empty or full of sand, and you should discard them). Remove from the heat.
7. When the pasta is ready, drain well, and put it in the pan with the sauce. Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the pasta has absorbed all the liquid in the pan. The pasta needs to cook another 1 to 2 minutes, so if there isn’t very much liquid in the pan, cover the pan; if there is more liquid, cook uncovered. When the pasta is done, serve at once.