Spaghetti with Pepper and Mussels

Method

1. Remove the leaves from the parsley and set aside. Keep only the stems.
2. In a large pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the parsley stems and 2 garlic cloves (crushed with the skin on). Sauté over medium heat.
3. Add the cleaned mussels (debearded and scrubbed), cover the pan, and let them open over high heat.
4. Meanwhile, crush black peppercorns in a mortar until coarse. (Alternatively, use a pepper mill or pre-ground pepper.)
5. Once the mussels have opened, remove them from the heat. Shell most of them, reserving a few in the shell for decoration. Filter the cooking liquid through a fine sieve.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add salt, but be careful not to oversalt because the mussel water is already salty.
7. Cook the spaghettoni (or spaghetti) according to package directions. The chef recommends removing the pasta 4 minutes before the specified cooking time (e.g., if the package says 13 minutes, cook for 9 minutes and finish in the sauce).
8. In a separate pan, toast the crushed black pepper over low heat for a few seconds.
9. About 7 minutes into the pasta cooking, add a ladle of starchy pasta water and an equal amount of the filtered mussel cooking liquid to the pepper pan. Let it reduce slightly.
10. When the pasta is al dente (at minute 9), transfer it directly from the boiling water into the pepper sauce pan using tongs. Add the shelled mussels.
11. Turn the heat to high. Add a little more pasta water and mussel liquid if needed, and toss everything together vigorously until the sauce coats the pasta.
12. Plate the pasta, garnish with the reserved mussels in their shells and fresh parsley leaves. Serve immediately.