'Nduja Mussels and Pasta Recipe

ABOUT THE PASTA...

This pasta is spicy, hearty, satisfying and so quick to whip up. The 'nduja, a type of Calabrian spreadable sausage, lends the perfect amount of heat. Delicious with a hunk of crusty white bread to mop up the unctuous tomato sauce. 

*Serves 4 people 

INGREDIENTS

~200g pasta 

~150g nduja, roughly chopped

~1kg mussels, debearded

~800g whole canned tomatoes, tomatoes only!

~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

~3/4 cup dry white wine 

~6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

~1/2 cup basil, finely chopped 

~1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped 

(separate parsley stems from the parsley leaves)

~Salt and pepper 

METHOD

1. Bring a pot of generously salted water to the boil. Add your pasta. 
2. In a large saucepan, add your olive oil, garlic, parsley stems and 'nduja and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Grab the whole tomatoes from the tins and squash them with your hands directly into the saucepan. Don’t put in the additional juice that’s left in the can into the sauce (save it to use for another recipe).
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add your wine and let the sauce come to a boil uncovered, as this will help cook off the alcohol and thicken the sauce (about 5-10 minutes). 
6. Then, add in your mussels and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let them cook for about 5 minutes or until all of the shells have opened. 
7. Once your pasta is 1 min from al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then strain your pasta. Add the pasta directly to the saucepan with your sauce and mussels, with the heat on low. Add about 1/2 cup pasta water and stir through, until the sauce coats your pasta. Be careful not too over cook or the mussels will get rubbery.
8. Turn off the heat, stir through your fresh basil and parsley, saving some of the herbs to garnish your pasta as you’re plating up. 
9. Enjoy!