Mussels, saffron and Prosecco DOC linguine

Rinse the mussels well and remove any “fuzzy slime” that may be clinging to the shell. Discard any open mussels. Once the mussels are well rinsed in cold water, heat one large pan and add a drizzle extra virgin olive oil, the crushed garlic, a piece of chilli and a few leaves of basil.

Once the pan is hot, add the mussel and pour in the Prosecco DOC. Let it cook with a lid on for about 5 minutes on high heat until all mussels are open. Turn off the heat immediately after to avoid overcooking the shellfish.

Drain the mussels from the cooking juice left in the pan and discard the garlic, chilli and basil. Keep the juice of course. Optionally, for a touch of finesse, remove the meat from the mussel shell and keep aside covered with a little bit of the liquid from the mussels. If you want to skip this step it is totally fine. Rinse the yellow datterini tomatoes and chop them in half. Gently heat the liquid left in the pan and add the saffron to it. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft (for about 5 minutes).

Now drop the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook until ‘al dente’ following the packet instruction. Mix every now and then. Drain the pasta and make sure to save a mug of the cooking water in case you need to loosen up the pasta sauce.

Add the pasta straight into the pan with the tomatoes, add a nice drizzle of olive oil and toss over medium heat to reach a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat and add the mussels, the optional chopped herbs and a tsp of chopped chilli if you like.

The remaining heat will gently warm up the mussels. Stir well and plate the linguine in shallow bowls. Garnish with lemon zest and enjoy with a cold glass of Prosecco DOC.

Recipe by Danilo Cortellini