I absolutely love this recipe – not only because it uses mussels, one of my favourite ingredients, but because the entire thing, start to finish, is done in the thermo in under 30 minutes! No pots, pans or stovetop required. To my mind, mussels are the ultimate modern protein source –sustainable, ethical, locally produced, require no feed inputs as they filter food from the surrounding water, cheap, quick to cook and of course they are really tasty! I believe I could make a mussel convert out of anyone, and this recipe is no exception – creamy garlicky spaghetti, flavoursome mussels, chives and a kick of chilli if you want it!
This recipe is straight from my latest cookbook ‘Thermo Cooker Fresh Favourites’.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 brown onion, peeled and halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled
50g olive oil
600g water
100g white wine or cider
100g pouring cream
50g stock concentrate
1 teaspoon fine salt
1kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded
400g spaghetti, broken in half
1 bunch black kale, spines removed, leaves very finely chopped
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
Chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
Method
- Place onion and garlic in TC bowl, chop for 5 seconds, speed 5.Scrape down sides.
- Add oil, sauté for 5 minutes, 100°C, speed 1.
- Add water, wine or cider, cream, stock concentrate and salt. Place mussels in lower steaming tray. Steam for 13 minutes, steaming temperature, reverse speed 3.
- Remove steaming tray and set aside. (Mussels should now be cooked. If they aren’t, steam for a further 2 minutes, steaming temperature, speed 3, or until cooked.) Add spaghetti through hole in TC lid. Cook for 6 minutes, 100°C, reverse speed soft.
- Add kale and gently combine with spaghetti, folding the top spaghetti to the bottom. Replace lid and leave standing for 10 minutes in the TC bowl to complete cooking.
Divide pasta and broth between 4 serving bowls, top with mussels and garnish with chives and chilli flakes if desired.
