Spaghetti with Mussels

The flavour combination of fresh mussels and fennel and pasta is hard to beat.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Kilo Omega mussels,
• 400g fresh Cucina spaghetti
• 1 cup fennel, chopped & include the fennel fronds
• good handful of salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 red pepper, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1/4 yellow pepper, cut into 1cm cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• freshly ground white pepper

Method

Remove the mussels from the pack, straining and reserving the juices. Shell the mussels and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add salt. To the pot, add the spaghetti, half of the wild fennel, and cook until al dente. 
Drain the fennel & pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the red and yellow peppers and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add the reserved mussel juice to the pan and and cook until the liquid reduces by a third.
Add the mussels to the pan and stir to heat through.  Fold through the spaghetti, the boiled wild fennel, and the reserved pasta cooking water.
Cook over medium heat a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavours to marry. Transfer to a serving platter sprinkle with the pepper and the remaining wild fennel, and serve hot.