Pasta with homemade tomato sauce and mussels

Simple. Spaghetti napolitana for the kids, and delicious spicy mussels for you! I usually skip the pasta altogether and serve the dish with a simple green salad. Too easy.

INGREDIENTS

100ml olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 onions, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

800g tinned chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

200g dried spaghetti

parmesan, grated, to serve

INGREDIENTS FOR ADULTS

2 teaspoons capers, rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 small red chillies, chopped

125ml white wine

12 mussels, washed and debearded

flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

salad leaves, to serve

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir-fry the garlic and onion for about 1 minute. Add the carrots and oregano and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly brown. Add the tomatoes, salt and 250 ml of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.

DISH ONE

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then drain. Transfer half the sauce to a bowl and stir through the pasta until it is well coated. Divide into serving bowls and top with some grated parmesan.

DISH TWO

To the remaining sauce, add the capers.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and half the chilli and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the white wine, let it sizzle for about 10 seconds then add the remaining tomato sauce. Cover, increase the heat to high and bring to the boil.

Add the mussels and cook for 3 minutes with the lid on, still over a high heat. Stir once gently, and cook for a further 3 minutes, or until the mussels are cooked and have opened completely. Discard any mussels that have not opened.

Garnish with fresh parsley and the remaining fresh chilli and serve straight away.

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