Recipe and photography by Ed Burrows.
Ingredients
- 30g of salted butter
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely crushed
- 40ml of Pernod
- 2 tbsp of harissa paste
- 150g of Northern Pasta Co Casarecce
- 500g of Cleaned & debearded mussels
- 2 large tbsp of mascarpone
- 1 lemon, juice only
- Small handful of fresh chives, finely chopped
Method
Start by placing a large pan of well salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by adding the butter to large saute or saucepan. Place on a medium low heat and once melted add the onion and celery. Cook for around 10 minutes until the vegetables have completely softened. Then add the garlic and fry for a further minute before adding the harissa paste. Stir together and let this simmer.
Add the Casarecce to the boiling water and cook for X minuets until al-dente.
meanwhile, tip the mussels into the pan with the harissa mixture. Pour in the wine, add the mascarpone and then place a lid on and gently simmer the mussels for around 4-5 minutes until they just start to open. Cook the mussels on a nice gentle heat to ensure they don’t overcook and before bouncy and tough. Once you see the first few mussels open turn off the heat and let the residual heat do the rest.
Drain the Casarecce once cooked and tip into the pan with the sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and the chives and toss or stir over the heat until everything is well combined. Divide between two bowls and serve immediately.
