Spaghetti alla Tarantina

Method

1. Clean the mussels: remove the beard and rinse them in salted water, rubbing them together until the water runs clear.
2. In a tall pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, a crushed clove of garlic, and a pinch of chilli. Add the mussels, a splash of dry white wine, and whole parsley leaves. Cover and cook on high heat until the mussels open. Remove them immediately, extract the meat from most shells (reserve a few with shells for decoration), and set aside.
3. Filter the liquid released by the mussels through a fine sieve to remove any impurities.
4. In the same pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, a whole clove of garlic (not crushed), and a pinch of chilli. Add the tomato passata and the filtered mussel liquid. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 35 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
6. After 35 minutes, add the mussel meat to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
7. Drain the spaghetti and toss it in the pan with a little sauce and raw chopped parsley.
8. Serve the spaghetti topped with the sauce and a few mussels in their shells. Optionally, drizzle a splash of dry white wine over the dish before serving.