Spaghetti With Mussels And Pecorino

Method

1. Clean the mussels by pulling off the beard and scraping off encrustations. Discard any that are open.
2. Score the cherry tomatoes with a cross at the top, blanch them in boiling water for about 10 seconds, then transfer to cold water and peel them.
3. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic. Add the cleaned mussels and cover with a lid, letting them open over high heat.
4. Once the mussels are open, remove them from the heat. Shell most of them, keeping a few in the shell for garnish. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl.
5. In the same pan (or a clean one), add a little more oil and another half clove of garlic, grated. Fry gently.
6. Add the peeled cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters, and a pinch of chili pepper. Cook for a minute, then add a ladleful of the strained mussel cooking water.
7. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water.
8. Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the tomato sauce. Add a little more mussel cooking water and toss over medium heat to flavour the pasta.
9. Turn off the heat. Add the shelled mussels, a generous amount of grated pecorino cheese, and torn fresh basil leaves. Toss well until creamy.
10. Serve immediately, garnishing with a few mussels in their shells, extra pecorino and basil leaves.