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Our mussel spaghetti will help you hold onto that summer feeling. Deliciously uncomplicated, this pasta celebrates rustic Italian coastal cooking. Simple and quick to knock out, you’ll feel like you're dining on the Italian coast in no time.
Adjust the quantities to cater for your party size.
4 people
500g spaghetti
Olive oil
40g butter
2kg mussels (cleaned & debearded)
2 brown onions (finely sliced)
3 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
¾ head of radicchio
Handful of baby capers
1 long chilli chopped finely (red or green)
Lemon zest (1 lemon)
Bunch chives (finely chopped)
Half bunch dill (trimmed)
1 glass of white wine (RSL pour)
1 ½ cup water
6 medium beetroots
Handful roasted hazelnuts
1 bunch chervil
½ bunch chives
2 lemons (juice)
olive oil
Mussels are a great way to bring in that big seafood flavour. The cooking liquid created a great base for our pasta sauce this week. Be careful not to reduce it too much as it can get too salty pretty quickly.
A great way to add vibrancy to your dishes. Easy to cook and super versatile. Use it in salads, as a main course or even in smoothies. Doesn’t mix too well with white shirts, though.
Allow about 40 mins extra to boil the raw beetroot.
30 - 40 mins
Heat olive oil in a wide pot (heavy base if available) on a low/medium heat. Add in onion and garlic, sweating it down until translucent.
Blast the heat to high, throw in the mussels, pour the wine and water on top and cover with a lid. Steam the mussels until they open up and immediately remove from the pot.
Strain the remaining liquid into a bowl and place aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and put spaghetti in. While pasta is boiling, heat olive oil in a large pan. Sauté capers and chilli to infuse the oil, turn the heat right up and add about ¾ cup of the mussel liquid.
Once the stock has come to a boil add the butter, mussels (in or out of the shell) and lemon zest. Stir in and taste for seasoning.
Strain spaghetti and drop into the pan. Toss pasta and stock together, it should begin to create a sauce. If it looks a little dry add a little more of the mussel liquid or even a touch of water.
Finally toss in the herbs and serve.
Cut stem off beetroots, leaving some stem remaining. Wash beetroot to remove any dirt and place in a pot of salted cold water.
Bring pot to a boil and reduce heat slightly, cooking the beetroot until tender (about 30 mins)
Strain beetroot and rinse under cold water. Once cooled, peel the skin off beetroot and cut into eighths.
In a large bowl, chuck in the beetroot, hazelnuts and chives. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss together. Have a try and adjust dressing if required.
Add the chervil, gently toss in and serve
We suggest a nice dry white to pair with the seafood flavours of the pasta. The 2019 Village Chardonnay pairs great. It's light and fresh. Juicy with subtle minerally characters.
