Mezzi rigatoni with mussels and beans

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Durum wheat pasta70 g
• Mussels300 g
• Cooked cannellini beans100 g
• Cherry tomatoes120 g
• Extra virgin olive oil10 g
• Garlic1 clove
• Chili pepper0.5
• Parsleyto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: gluten, shellfish,

In season: May – September

Method

1. Put a pan of water on for the pasta. Meanwhile clean the mussels under running water: pull off the beards and scrape the shells; discard any that are broken, or open and don't close when tapped.
2. Put the mussels in a large frying pan, cover and cook over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they open; discard any that stay closed, shell them and strain the liquid through a sieve lined with kitchen paper.
3. Wash the cherry tomatoes and halve them. In the same pan warm the oil over a low heat with the crushed garlic and the chilli for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is golden; add the tomatoes and the drained beans.
4. Pour in the mussel liquid and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, until the tomatoes soften and the sauce reduces a little. Meanwhile cook the pasta in lightly salted water, as the mussels are already salty.
5. Drain the mezzi rigatoni 2 minutes early and finish cooking them in the pan with the shelled mussels and a ladleful of cooking water, stirring over a medium heat until the sauce comes together. Finish with chopped parsley.