Pasta Vongole - Pasta with Venus mussels

Serves 4.

Approx. 1 kg Venus mussels, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 medium-hot red chili, 75 g butter, 5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 100 ml dry white wine, 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, 500 g dried spaghetti, 1 unsprayed lemon, a little parmesan if desired, salt, black pepper.

Finely slice the chili and garlic. Heat the olive oil and half of the butter in a pan, add the chili and garlic, and sauté until it starts to brown. Add the frozen and precooked Venus mussels and white wine, and steam the mussels for approx. 2–3 minutes with the lid on. If there is a lot of soup left, remove the mussels and reduce the liquid (at full heat) to approx. 100 ml. Return the mussels to the pan, together with the cooked spaghetti. Add the butter, the chopped parsley and the zest of half a lemon together with 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Mix well and season with salt and black pepper. Finally, sprinkle with a little parmesan just before serving.

If desired, serve with wholemeal bread and salad with plenty of fresh herbs.