THE PERFECT . . .

Spaghetti with mussels

Ilove mussels, and we’re blessed with them in Ireland. We have some of the cleanest waters in the world, and the mussels are nice and sweet as a result. I always cook mussels straight, with no liquid or oil. All you need is a good, deep pot with a lid that can build up a lot of steam for cooking them fast. Preheat your pot, so the high heat is there before you throw in the mussels, and they will take no more than a few minutes to cook. When you take the mussels out of the cold fridge, they will probably all be closed. But if any open in the warmth of your kitchen, tap their shell two or three times with a knife. If they don’t close, discard them. After cooking, if any shells are still closed, don’t force them open, throw them away. The beauty of mussels is that they are delicious simply cooked, or you can jazz them up any way you want. White wine is always good — a splash of it into the cooking pot — or garlic, herbs, coconut milk, spices. I was over in Bilbao recently, in the kitchen of Daniel Garcia, who has two Michelin stars, and he served me the mussel dish he eats himself, three or four times a week. It was delicious, and I asked if it was a traditional Basque dish. ‘No, it is my own recipe, and I will show you how I make it, so you can tell them in Ireland,’ he told me. Into a pot, along with a kilo of mussels, he put one chilli, a splash of water and two tablespoons of HP Classic BBQ Sauce. I couldn’t believe it. They were delicious.

You will need:

1½kg (3lb) mussels 2 tablespoons dry white wine 350g (12oz) spaghetti 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, thinly sliced into rings 2 small squid, cleaned and cut into thin rings 350g (12oz) raw prawns, peeled and veins removed 200g (7oz) cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Clean the mussels and put them in a pan with a lid and pour over the dry white wine. Cover the pan tightly and cook it over a high heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until all the mussels have opened — discard any that don’t open. Strain the mussels and wine through a sieve, reserving 150ml (¼pt) of the cooking liquid. Remove the mussels from their shells. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until it is al dente. To make the seafood sauce, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan, add the thinly sliced garlic and the chilli rings and saute them for about 30 seconds. Add the squid rings and cook them gently for a few minutes, then tip in the raw prawns and saute for another minute or so. Add the reserved cooking liquid and reduce it slightly, then tip in the mussels, the halved cherry tomatoes and the chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and allow the mussels to just warm through. Drain the pasta, then return it to the pan in which you cooked it. Then pour in the seafood sauce and fold it together with the pasta until all the elements are well combined. Serves 4.