Fusilli lunghi with mussel and saffron butter

Pick through the mussels and remove the beards, discarding any broken ones. Also discard any that aren’t tightly closed, or those that don't close when given a sharp tap on the work surface. Give them a good rinse in a large bowl of cold water, drain off the water and repeat two or three times until the water is clear then drain in a colander

Peel and lightly crush the garlic cloves

Add the olive oil to a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid and place over a medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots and bay leaves and gently sauté for 2–3 minutes, taking care not to brown the garlic

Tip in the mussels along with the white wine and turn up the heat to high. Put the lid on and steam the mussels for 3–4 minutes or until all the mussels have opened, stirring once or twice to ensure they cook evenly

Once the mussels have all opened, empty the contents into a colander with a bowl underneath to catch all the liquid

Leave to cool slightly then pick all the mussels from the shells and set aside. You can discard the garlic, shallots and bay leaves at this stage

Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with a j-cloth or muslin to remove any grit

Take half of the mussels and place them into a food processor with the softened butter, saffron, dried chilli, a pinch of salt and a good crack of black pepper. Blitz until smooth and check the seasoning – adjust if necessary. Set aside the remaining mussels

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and season well with salt

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions

While the pasta is cooking add the mussel and saffron butter to a large pan along with a ladle of the reserved cooking liquid and place on a medium heat. Melt the butter with the liquid, stirring constantly to form an emulsion. If the butter begins to sizzle then add a little more mussel stock. Once the sauce has come together, remove from the heat until the pasta is cooked

When the pasta is cooked, strain off, reserving some of the water. Add the pasta to the butter sauce along with the rest of the picked mussels and toss vigorously so the sauce thickens to an oozy consistency that coats the pasta well. If it becomes too thick add a little more mussel stock or some of the pasta water. If it is too thin, keep tossing

Finish with lemon juice to taste and the chopped parsley and serve immediately