Ditali pasta with beans and mussels

The mussels:

• Clean the mussels thoroughly then carefully open them.
• Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pot, and add the  garlic and washed parsley.
• Put the mussels into the pot and add some water.
• Turn up the heat and cover the pot with the lid. In a few minutes the mussels will open: filter them but keep all the cooking liquid - this is very important!
• All you do now is remove the mussels from their shells and set them aside in their own liquid.

The pasta

• Sauté the garlic, carrots, and chopped onion in some extra virgin oil; add the cooked and drained beans: leave half of them whole and blend the remainder.
• Let this simmer for 3-4 minutes. At this point add the thyme leaves and sprigs of rosemary for flavour.
• Filter the water from the mussels and add it to the beans, then season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the sprigs of rosemary.
• Now here is the protagonist: pour the pasta into the sauce and raise the heat, only stirring from time to time.
• Cook it "risottata" style - not boiled - for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.
• Then turn off the heat and let the pasta continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes.
• As soon as the heat is turned off, add the shelled mussels and continue cooking as indicated above.
• Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of crude extra virgin olive oil.
• Serve on a plate with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. The pasta, beans and mussels are ready!