Pasta Sauce Sugo al tonno e olive

At present I am looking after my Dad while my Mum is convalescing. She is an excellent cook and has always been my inspiration. My Dad loves his meat, but I will still not quite go there, so my concession is fishy…

Oh, I'm cooking at my parents’ place, which explains the different backdrop, and I’m using my -- not quite sussed -- smart phone camera, which explains the poxy pictures.

 

 

What you need

• 250 g fresh tuna, cubed
• 2 tblsp olive oil for frying
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• a handful of black olives, de-pipped
• 1 tblsp vegetable stock powder
• 100 ml red wine (good quality Italian wine is recommended; I don’t cook with what I wouldn’t drink)
• 350 ml passata (or peeled tinned tomatoes)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp honey or sugar
• 2 tblsp Italian herb mix (oregano, marjoram, flat-leaved parsley, sage, basil)
• some dried chillies if you like a bit of punch…

 

What you do

1. Season the tuna with a bit of salt and tandoori powder (care needs to be taken as some tandoori masalas are very hot).
2. If using fresh pasta, put the water on the boil; if you use conventionally packed pasta, put the pasta into boiling salted water (a rule of thumb is that the water should taste as salty as the sea, I have been told by an Italian)
3. Heat the olive oil to the point that, when you add the tuna, it sizzles vigorously.
4. Toss in the tuna, then the chopped onion and the slices of garlic.
5. Brown the tuna, then add the olives. Keep stirring to avoid burning the onions and the garlic.
6. Sprinkle the stock powder over the mixture and pour in the wine, then add the passata and stir until all elements are well mixed.
7. Now add a spoonful of honey, or, if your wine is rather dry, a little more, depending on your taste. Honey really tends to bring out the tomato flavour.
8. Add the herbs, stir well, cooking only briefly (to avoid the tuna getting dry and tough) and spoon over the freshly drained pasta. If the sauce looks too dry, add a couple of spoonfuls of pasta water.
9. Add salt, pepper and finely chopped dried chillies if you like it a little hotter.

Serve, I would suggest, without adding cheese.