Linguine al Pesto with Shellfish

Name: Linguine al Pesto with Shellfish
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Linguine; Pine nuts; Basil; Parmesan; Extra Virgin Olive Oil; White wine; Parsley; Red Chilli; Garlic; Clams; Salt; Pepper; Mussels

Ingredients

250g dried Linguine pasta

For the pesto:

175g basil, washed
150g extra virgin olive oil
30g pine nuts
3 tbsp Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

For the mussels:

400g mussels, scrubbed, washed and de-bearded (alternatively, use clams)
1 fresh red chilli
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ bunch of parsley, chopped
70g extra virgin olive oil
1 glass of white wine

Cooking instructions

Serves 4

Place all of the pesto ingredients into a blender and pulse for 45 seconds. Set aside whilst you cook the mussels.
Place the oil, garlic and chilli into the pan and allow to sweat briefly before adding the mussels. Add the white wine and parsley and cover with a lid.
Cook on a medium heat for 7 minutes until the mussels open and release all their juices.
Once the mussels are open (remove any that remain closed), strain them from the cooking liquid, keeping this to one side to use in the pasta sauce. Keep the mussels in their shells and set aside whilst you cook the pasta.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil to cook the pasta. Add the linguine and cook for 6 minutes until tender.
Once cooked, strain the pasta and add to a frying pan with the remaining mussel cooking liquid. Toss over a medium heat for 1 minute.
Next, add the pesto and the mussels to the pasta. Mix thoroughly to ensure the pasta and mussels are coated in the sauce. Season to taste and serve immediately.