Busiate with pistachio pesto and mussels

DIFFICULTY	TIME	SERVES	COST
Medium		4 Serves	Medium

Rating

Photos from Cibo e Leggende.

Today we bring you a recipe made by food blogger Michelangelo Mascellaro at Cibo e Leggende.

This is a classic first course in Sicilian gastronomy, a skilful combination of two ingredients of great character to obtain a truly exceptional result.

Let’s find out how this Sicilian dish is prepared

Ingredients	Quantity
Busiate (Azienda agricola fontanazza)	500grs
Mussels	1kg
EVO Oil	4 tbsp
White wine	1/2 glass
Garlic	1 clove

Ingredients (for the pistachio pesto)	Quantity
Pistachio	200grs
Basil	10/12 leaves
Extra virgin olive oil	2 tbsp
Salt	to taste

Preparation method

How to prepare the mussels

Wash the mussels, remove the outer edge and, with the help of a knife, scrape the surface to eliminate any growths and finish cleaning with a metal sponge. After the cleaning phase, the mussels must be smooth and shiny. It is possible to avoid this step by purchasing cleaned mussels.

Put a clove of garlic and four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and brown the garlic over a low heat. Add the cleaned mussels with half a glass of white wine. Cover the pan with its lid and wait for the mussels to open.

Next, remove the mussels that remained closed after cooking. Then, remove the shells of the opened ones. Keep the shelled mussels aside and filter out the cooking broth so it can be used later.

How to prepare the pistachio pesto

Prepare the pistachio pesto by blending the pistachios with a few tablespoons of oil, a few basil leaves, a pinch of salt and half a glass of mussel broth.

Blend until it becomes a thick and homogeneous cream. In case the pistachio pesto is too thick, you can add a drizzle of oil until you get the desired consistency.

How to prepare the dish

Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add salt and then, the busiate. Stir occasionally. Drain the pasta when it is “al dente”.

Now, take the pan where the mussels were cooked and add the drained busiate together with the pistachio pesto. Mix everything and, with the help of a ladle, add the mussel broth.

Once the pasta has absorbed the pistachio pesto cream and it is fully cooked, the preparation will be ready. Finally add the mussels, a sprinkling of chopped pistachios, and mix again.

Serve and decorate with the shelled mussels previously set aside.