Spaghetti with Mussels

Since we had only used half of the bag of mussels, and we had to use them up before they died, we had another mussel meal. This recipe came from Italian Cooking.

• 2 lb fresh mussels in their shells
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 Tbsp white wine (or water)
• 1 lb spaghetti
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Scrub and debeard the mussels under cold running water
2. Bring large pan of water to a boil for the pasta. Place the mussels with a cup of water in another large saucepan over moderate heat. As soon as they open, lift them out one by one.
   
3. When all the mussels have opened (discard any that do not), strain the liquid in the saucepan through a paper towel ans reserve until needed.
   
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mussels, their strained juices and the water. Cook over moderate heat. Meanwhile add the pasta to the boiling water.
5. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to the sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt as necessary.
6. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Tip it into the frying pan with the sauce, and stir well over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes more. Serve at once, without cheese.

Aaron and I laughed that they added "without cheese" to the directions.