Columnist: Deborah Quinn.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
I have been making a version of this dish for some time now and it is a quick and easy recipe. I make it when the extended family are home, or someone drops in for an impromptu dinner and I’m short of time — and they always rave about it.
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The only issue with writing this article is that I change it every time because I have never really had a recipe for it. The family have been asking for this recipe and I’ve never sent it to them because it meant I had to really think about how I put it together. So here it is.
It has delicious flavours, and you can make it within 20 minutes if you have the ingredients at hand. I keep most of the ingredients for this dish in my cupboard all the time so that I can just whip it up if I have unexpected visitors.
Always on hand: The ingredients.
Ingredients
½ tbsp olive oil
1 French shallot, finely diced
1 x 185g can of Sirena tuna with chilli in oil
1 x 95g John West Tuna with chilli in oil
2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 good-quality anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup white wine
1½ cups chicken stock (mix 2 tsp Massel chicken stock with water or use liquid chicken stock)
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 x 410g can whole Roma tomatoes, chopped (leave juice behind), or 4 ripe diced fresh tomatoes.
1 tsp grated lemon rind
Garnish
2 tbsp freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
Delicious: Ingredients.
Pasta
300g Barilla spaghettini (no 3) or if you prefer thicker spaghetti, Al Bronzo spaghetti by Barilla is also good — or just select your favourite.
Method
You can use the oil from the cans of tuna to sauté the shallots, anchovies, garlic and capers. I usually add an extra ½ tbsp of olive oil as well.
In a nonstick pan, sauté the shallots in the oil on a low heat for around 2 mins then add the anchovies, garlic and capers and sauté on low heat for another 3 mins. Add the tuna, sauté again for a few more minutes then add the white wine and simmer to reduce by half. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, lemon rind, sugar and simmer for around 10 to 15 mins.
Tasty: The final dish.
Debs tips
You really can’t make a mistake with this dish. If there is an ingredient that you don’t really like, just leave it out. But please don’t be afraid of anchovies, they give such a wonderful flavour to this dish.
In summer I always use fresh ripe tomatoes (4 diced) instead of the canned tomatoes. It adds a different but beautiful fresh flavour to this dish.
You can also garnish with either fresh chopped dill, parsley or fresh basil.
