Parmesan pepper and mussels Pasta

Let’s see how to cook this really tasty recipe that join Roman and Baresian tradition. You have to know that one of the most famous dishes in Rome is the PASTA CACIO E PEPE  (Cheese and pepper), and one of the most famous dishes from Bari is Pasta with mussels. We mix them to have a really amazing food! Let’s see how.

Ingredients (metric and Imperial) party of 4

• 2 kg of mussels
• 200g (7 oz) of Parmesan, freshly grated
• 500g (18oz) of fresh pasta
• Some pinches of pepper
• 250ml (1 cup) of White wine

Method

• Clean the mussels with an iron sponge, ripping off the little wire that comes out from the shell
• Put some extra virgin Olive oil in a pan and turn on a low flame: after 2 minutes, put the mussels into the pan, turn the flame high and add the wine, covering the pan with its top
• After 3-4  minutes remove the cover and you will see that mussels are open now or they are starting to open.
• Take the open mussels and put them in a bowl one by one
• If after 5-6 minutes there are still closed mussels, they’re not good, so throw them in the garbage
• Shell your mussels (leave just 2 each person with the shell  for decoration)
• In the pan you have the mussels “cooking water”: filter it with a  strainer and put again in the pan (after have cleaned it of course) and add 1-2 glasses of warm water
• Turn on a medium flame under the pan and bring the mussels cooking water to boil
• Put your fresh pasta in the pan, it will cook into the mussels water and will absorb the true flavor of the sea
• Mix everything  with a cooking nipper (so it will not stick). If it becomes a bit dry, add a spoon of warm water, but not too much. You should arrive at the end of the cooking time with just 3-4 spoons of cooking water in the pan
• Normally fresh pasta takes 4-5 minutes to be cooked, so 1 minute before switching off the flame, add the shelled mussels into the pan
• Once cooked, put everything in a big bowl and add the parmesan, mixing everything very quickly.
• You will see the Parmesan transforming into a very tasty cheese-cream thanks to the interaction between parmesan, warm cooking water and your mixing.

Serve your wonderful dish, decorating with some unshelled mussels.