A few years back, when I was a fundraiser for a chapter of a national charity, one of my volunteers was a woman from Italy. She was part of Houston’s elite society and a very warm and generous lady. We had a meeting at her home with the then President and CEO of Continental Airlines and she served us lunch. Of course, it was a pasta dish, one that I had never had. It was so delicious and I couldn’t detect all the ingredients. I asked her what was in it and she said tuna and black olives. I’m thinking fresh tuna poached in the sauce, but no, it was tuna out of a can. I can’t tell you how delicious I thought this dish was and it didn’t taste like it had a can of tuna. This is a quick and relatively light dish and very satisfying. Give it a try.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 Cup minced garlic
- 16 Black kalamata olives seeded and cut in half (you can use the milder canned black olives if you prefer or you can leave the olives out)
- 18 Oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes (there are many brands that use the San Marzano tomatoes)
- 4 to 6 Oz. canned or jarred tuna in olive oil, drained
- 1/3 Cup olive oil
- 1 Lb. spaghetti
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large sauce pan, saute garlic over medium heat in olive oil for about a minute or until fragrant
- Put the canned tomatoes in a bowl and crush with your hands. If you don’t like using your hands, give it a couple of pulses in a food processor. You don’t want it to be pureed
- Add the tomatoes to the garlic and olive oil and stir to blend
- Add the olives and tuna, breaking up the tuna
- Let simmer while you are cooking your spaghetti
- In well salted water, boil the spaghetti until al dente or to your liking.
- Save some pasta water before draining.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce
- Continue cooking the spaghetti, stirring it with the sauce for about 4 to 6 minutes until the pasta is well coated with the ingredients. If it becomes too dry, add some pasta water a little at a time.
- Serve with some freshly ground Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
