A couple of months ago I posted this pic below on my instagram of some Organic Black Bean Spaghetti that I found in a local health food store. It was been sitting in the pantry staring at me every time I open up the door screaming out to be used. I 
wanted to make something special with it, so of course, that is why it remained there until I couldn’t cope any more! I was unsure how black spaghetti would be received by three hungry kids, none of them batted an eye and thought it was fun. I loved the spaghetti and will buy it again, the only thing I was a little disappointed about was that after cooking it lost some of its colour.
This dish became a joint effort with my husband, he has wanted to try steaming mussels in the Varoma for a long time, he saw this as his perfect opportunity. I was unsure how the kids would cope with just mussels, they are something that you either love or hate… even the look of them can be enough to turn up noses. We decided to add calamari to the dish too and play it safe.
So pleased that it worked out and was a hit with everyone! I was surprised that two out of three kids loved the mussels. I was glad we added the calamari, that was demolished by all 3. My son has been raving about this dish and is constantly asking when we can have it again. I will be very happy to oblige!
I use Celery Pesto regularly, I always have some kept in the fridge or freezer as it freezes well. Very handy to add to defrost and stir through pasta dishes.
When on the RPAH failsafe diet, it is important to purchase your seafood fresh on the day it was caught or bought, not frozen. Protein breaks down rapidly in seafood and will increase in amines. We are very fortunate on the Sunshine Coast and have access to fresh seafood.
4 garlic cloves
2 bread crusts
1 leek
50g rice bran oil
150g Celery Pesto
1 teasp Vegetable Stock Concentrate
1 ½ teasp citric acid
300g water
600g calamari, sliced into rings
1kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
1 tablespoon rice bran oil
Black spaghetti
Fresh chives and parsley to garnish
Place 2 garlic cloves into the Thermomix bowl. Chop on speed 8 for 3 seconds. Roughly chop bread and place into bowl. Chop on speed 8 for 7 seconds. Set aside and clean the bowl.
Place remaining 2 garlic cloves and leek into Thermomix bowl Chop on speed 7 for 3 seconds. Add oil. Saute for 3 minutes 100 deg speed 1.
Add celery pesto, veg stock, citric acid and water. Place calamari into the Thermomix bowl with the sauce ingredients. Place the mussels into the Varoma bowl and position the Varoma on top of the bowl. Cook for 20 minutes Varoma temp reverse speed 1. Give the mussels a stir to check that they are cooked. If necessary give another few minutes. Discard any that have not opened.
While the seafood is cooking, put a pot of water on to boil and cook pasta as per directions on the packet.
Place 2 teaspoons of rice bran oil into a pre- heated non-stick frying pan. Add the crumb mixture, stir occasionally until crumbs are lightly browned and toasted. Set aside.
Once the seafood is cooked, place the mussels into a Thermoserver and pour over the calamari and sauce to keep warm.
To serve, place pasta onto the plate and top with the seafood and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and garnish with fresh chives and parsley.
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