Mussel Bucatini

Method

• Clean and peel the onion, celeriac stalks, and fennel, then cut into slices or small cubes. Sauté in olive oil in a saucepan without browning, then add the wine.
• Rinse the mussels under cold running water and add them to the saucepan. Steam together with the vegetables under a lid for 2–3 minutes until they open.
• Strain the broth and reduce it by half, then remove the mussels from their shells and reserve the vegetables.
• Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions.
• Bring the mussel broth to a boil, whisk in the butter in cubes. Preferably use an immersion blender. When the sauce has a nice consistency, add the juice of half a lemon, the mushrooms, and the vegetables.
• Add the cleaned mussels to the sauce.
• Drain the spaghetti when cooked and serve in warm, deep plates. Spoon over the sauce, vegetables, and mushrooms, then sprinkle with crushed Sarawak pepper.

Tips – Also use lightly fried guanciale, pancetta, or pork belly in this dish. This turns it into a seabed ‘Carbonara’.