Feeds 4 hungry humans. Cook time: 20 minutes. Enjoy with a dry sherry or mineral white wine.
Ingredients
500g - penne or similar pasta
Salt for the pasta water
100ml - Extra virgin olive oil3 cloves garlic, chopped
100g - WithWild Fiordland Wapiti biersticks, sliced
1tsp - chili flakes
1kg - mussels (substitute for any seasonal shellfish)
1 large - vine tomato, chopped
100ml - white wine
100g - flat parsley
This is such a quick and easy way to make use of fresh shellfish. The dish is all about using the juices from the shellfish to dress the pasta. The bierstick provides texture and a wonderful depth of flavor.
Method
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente about 12 minutes for penne. In another heavy based pan warm about 50ml of oil over a high heat.
Add the garlic and about half of the sliced biersticks. As they sizzle away, add the chili flakes and mussels. Stir to coat the mussels in the oil. Add the tomato and white wine and quickly cover with a lid. Give the pot a little shake to make sure the liquids are creating as much steam as possible.
After about a minute of having a good volume of steam, open the pot and check how many mussels have opened. Remove any that have opened from the pot to a large serving vessel. Put the lid back on until all have opened.
Add the rest of the mussels and the liquid in the pan to your serving vessel and toss with the cooked pasta.
Serve
Finish with another generous coating of olive oil, the last of the sliced biersticks and the parsley.
Use your hands for the shells, bring napkins!