Mussel pasta e fagioli
Article by
Aisling Grimley.
Pasta with mussels and beans - I found this recipe in Woman & Home – yes it’s a great magazine full of relevant articles and recipes. This pasta dish has become a popular mid-week special here, it’s from Jamie Oliver's new book, Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less.
Mussel pasta e fagioli
Mussel pasta e fagiolo
Serves 6
6 smoked streaky rashers (for speed I use a packet of bacon bits or lardons - AG)
Olive oil
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
½ a bunch of fresh parsley
3 carrots
1 good pinch of dried chilli flakes
1x400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1x400g tin of cannellini beans
1 lemon
300g mixed dried pasta shapes
1kg mussels, washed and debearded
extra virgin oil
1 Chop the bacon and place in a large pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil to get golden, stirring occasionally, while you peel and finely chop the onion and garlic with the parsley stalks, and peel and slice the carrots. Add these to the pan with the chilli flakes and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, still stirring occasionally.
2 Add the tomatoes and beans (juice and all) to the pan, then pour in 1.2 litres of boiling water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until fairly thick, stirring occasionally.
3 Taste the sauce, add a squeeze of lemon juice, then season to perfection. Add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes (possibly a little longer to make sure it’s almost cooked otherwise you may over cook the mussels while trying to get the pasta right, they cook v quickly - AG). Then pile the mussels on top of the sauce (take any that are open and if they don’t close, throw those ones away). Pop the lid on and cook for a further 5 minutes or until all the mussels have just opened (throw away any that remain closed) and the pasta is cooked through. Toss the mussels through the sauce, then chop the parsley leaves and scatter over. Finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve right away. Nice with a crisp green salad.
From Save With Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less by Jamie Oliver.
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