Spaghetti with mussels

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 medium-sized onion(s), diced
• 4 clove(s) garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 stalk(s) celery, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper(s), diced
• 1 pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 1 kg mussels
• 1 small can of chopped tomatoes (425 ml)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche
• e.g. salt and pepper
• n. B. Herbs, Italian
• ½ stalk(s) leek, cut into fine strips
• 400g spaghetti

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Sauté the onion and garlic in hot oil in a pan. Once the onions are translucent, add the celery, diced bell peppers, chili peppers, and fresh tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. Now add the white wine and the cleaned mussels. After about 10 minutes, remove the mussels from the pan and let them cool. Add the can of tomatoes to the mussel broth and stir in the tomato paste to thicken. Season with crème fraîche, herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the leek just before the end of the cooking time; you don’t want it to overcook. Now cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. In the meantime, remove the mussel meat from the shells and return it to the sauce. This recipe was originally created as a way to use up leftover mussels as a main course. Tip: I like to fry some shrimp as a variation and add them to the sauce.