Pasta al Tonno e Pomodoro

I

've begun to think about writing a second edition of La Cucina dei Poveri for at least seventeen reasons: the seventeen recipes that either didn't make it into the first edition, or that I've unearthed since I published the first edition. Among the seventeen is this recipe; Pasta al Tonno e Pomodoro, Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce.

My grandfather often made Pasta with Tuna Sauce when we were staying at our summer cottage in Old Saybrook, CT. In fact, that seemed to be the only place he made it. I've often wondered why.

Perhaps it was because, even though the tuna came from a can, it was a period (late fifties and early sixties) when foods weren't typically frozen, and we ate seafood only when someone caught it, or when it was available fresh at the market. In those days, that was from approximately May through September. For the rest of the year, even canned tuna, "out of season," just didn't seem right.

Pop's (my grandfather's) recipe differs from the traditional Sicilian version, because he added capers and roasted peppers; often hot peppers. For me, roasted peppers alone are close to nature's perfect food, but the combination of tuna, tomato, and roasted peppers is sublime.

Pasta al Tonno e Pomodoro is at its best, prepared with roasted fresh peppers, but you can find enough fine brands of jarred roasted peppers at your grocery store that you shouldn't be deterred from making this terrific pasta recipe.

Pasta al Tonno e Pomodoro
Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Medium onion, diced
2 6 oz. Cans tuna packed in oil
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. Can Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 Tbs. Capers
4 Roasted peppers, cut into 1 in. pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Lb. Penne rigate
4 Tbs. Flat leaf Italian parsley

Preparation

Heat a 4 quart pot over medium-high heat, then add the oil. Add the garlic, and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, for approximately one minute. Lower the heat to medium, then add the onion.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion softens and becomes translucent; approximately five minutes.

Add the tuna, breaking it up with a fork, then add the red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up as they go in as well. Finally, add the capers and roasted peppers. Lower the heat and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water (at least six quarts)to the boil. Add the penne and cook until they reach the al dente state. Drain in a colander.

To Serve:

Divide the pasta equally among four plates and add a dollop of sauce to each. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serves four

Technorati tags: Italian Food, Tuna, Skip Lombardi