In The Kitchen with Rose Matafeo!

And pulling mussels from a shell for Mussel and Chickpea Pasta...

Hello! I’ve been in Melbourne for the last 3 weeks where the weather was warm and the seafood plentiful. Aussie Christmas - all prawns on barbecues with incongruous snowflakes and snow men - is a head-scratcher. So I’m coming to you with a December dinner recipe that works across hemispheres and seasons, whether it’s Winter or Summer where you are. In this month’s The Interview I’m VERY EXCITED to be speaking to comedian and legend Rose Matafeo! Read on to find out important information such as which sausage Rose would like to be and what she thinks of eating noises…

I could have made December’s recipes all about mincemeat or bread sauce, but pasta is more exciting. Pasta Con Cozze e Ceci (Mussel and Chickpea Pasta) is hearty enough to be enjoyed in all seasons, and that’s why I love it. It’s saucy and rich from the tomatoes, shellfish and wine, and the chickpeas mean it’s also very filling too.

Peak mussel season in the UK is underway, so now is a good time to pull them from the shell and eat the little blighters. Research tells me lots of you like mussels - but if you don’t, you can substitute them for clams here in my non-Italo-opinion. This pasta is a Puglian dish combining all the key food groups in the form of shellfish, chickpeas and pasta. It’s really quick to put together, so it would work for weeknights, but it’s impressive enough to cook for friends or family in this peak socialising season too.