Spaghetti with Mussels and Garlic

This is another of Signor Balducci’s superb seafood recipes from the Riva del Sole hotel near Bari. Unlike him, I don’t know how to shuck mussels open with a graceful flick of my wrist. He opens them first and then cooks them, but I like to cook mussels first because it is the greatest test for their freshness and edibility. So here is the recipe, very slightly adapted, for the most marvellous spaghetti dish that is simplicity itself to prepare.