Spaghetti con le CozzeSpaghetti with Mussels

Clean and sort the mussels

• 1 Put 1.5 kg mussels in a bowl and rub shells together under running water to remove deposits and mud.
• 2 Pull the byssus threads, or beards, firmly toward the hinge to remove them.
• 3 Scrape barnacles and calcareous deposits from the shells with a knife's back or scrubbing brush.
• 4 Tap open mussels lightly on the worktop; discard those that do not close after 10 seconds and any cracked shells.
• 5 Drain the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate.

Prepare aromatics and tomatoes

• 1 Peel 3 garlic cloves, halve lengthwise and remove the germs. Lightly crush 2 for steaming and thinly slice 1 for sauce.
• 2 Stem 1 red chili, split lengthwise, remove all seeds and slice into rings.
• 3 Separate 15 g parsley into leaves and stems; coarsely chop leaves onto a plate and bundle stems for steaming.
• 4 Halve 200 g cherry tomatoes lengthwise and put in a bowl.

Steam mussels and collect their juices

• 1 MeanwhileWhile steaming, start heating 4 L pasta water over high heat.
• 2 In a deep pot at least 28 cm across, heat 20 ml olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves and parsley stems over low heat for 2 minutes, until garlic edges lightly color.
• 3 Add all 1.5 kg drained mussels, immediately cover and raise to high heat; steam for 2 minutes, shaking the pot vigorously up and down every 30 seconds.
• 4 When shells start opening, uncover and pour 80 ml white wine down the wall; immediately cover again and steam over high heat for 2–4 minutes, shaking every 30 seconds to turn them.
• 5 When over 90% (9 in 10) have opened, turn off and spread the mussels on a tray with tongs to cool slightly.
• 6 Check each 1 mussel on the tray and discard unopened ones and any with broken-down flesh.
• 7 Gently strain the remaining juices through a colander over a bowl lined with cloth or 2 paper towels. Discard settled sand without pouring it through.

Separate flesh and measure juices

• 1 From the slightly cooled mussels, reserve 24 in shells, 6 per 1 person, at the tray's edge for presentation.
• 2 Shell all the rest into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• 3 Strain tray juices through cloth and combine with the juices from step 3.
• 4 Measure the combined juices in a jug and set aside.

Start pasta and warm plates

• 1 MeanwhileWhile the pasta cooks, start the sauce base in step 6 so the mussel juices can be added 6 minutes after the pasta entered.
• 2 Dissolve 40 g coarse salt in 4 L boiling water.
• 3 When it returns to a boil, fan in 400 g spaghetti, submerge with long chopsticks and note this as minute 0.
• 4 Stir constantly for the first 1 minute, then maintain a boil over medium-high heat.
• 5 Fill 4 serving plates with boiling water to warm them.

Build and reduce the sauce

• 1 MeanwhileWhile reducing, keep tongs and a measuring cup by the pasta pot, ready to lift it at minute 9.
• 2 Immediately after adding pasta, put 60 ml oil, 1 sliced garlic clove and sliced chili in a frying pan at least 28 cm across; infuse over low heat for 3 minutes until garlic is pale golden.
• 3 Add 200 g halved cherry tomatoes cut-side down and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until skins wrinkle and juice appears.
• 4 Reserve 200 ml pasta water in a measuring jug.
• 5 Measure mussel juices; if under 300 ml, top up with reserved pasta water to exactly 300 ml. Do not use excess juices.
• 6 At pasta minute 6, pour the 300 ml juices into the pan and boil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, reducing the total by about 20% (2/10).

Finish and emulsify pasta; warm shell-on mussels

• 1 Lift spaghetti with tongs 2 minutes before package time, about minute 9, and transfer directly to the sauce without overdraining.
• 2 Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, constantly lifting and turning pasta from the bottom with tongs.
• 3 As liquid decreases, add reserved water 50 ml at a time, keeping the sauce gently wave-like.
• 4 Add all shelled mussels and mix for just 30 seconds to warm.
• 5 Reduce heat to the lowest setting, drizzle in remaining 20 ml oil and toss the pan while mixing with tongs for 15 seconds to thicken.
• 6 Mix in 2/3 of the parsley leaves and turn off.
• 7 Arrange the 24 shell-on mussels over pasta and sauce and leave off heat for 30 seconds to warm with residual heat.

Plate

• 1 Discard warming water from the 4 plates and dry the interiors with a cloth.
• 2 Twist pasta with tongs into high mounds divided among the 4 plates.
• 3 Divide remaining sauce evenly over the 4 plates.
• 4 Stand 6 shell-on mussels around and on the pasta on each 1 plate.
• 5 Scatter remaining parsley and divide 1 g freshly ground black pepper among the 4 plates.