Monday, May 18, 2009

Hot Fish Pasta

It doesn't sound good, but I swear it's the most delicious thing in my life today.

Hot Fish Pasta
Serves One

2 oz dry shaped pasta (penne, bowtie, shells, etc.)
3 oz (1 small can) light tuna packed in olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
salt
red pepper flakes
black pepper
red wine vinegar or lemon juice

Boil the pasta until al dente in heavily salted boiling water.

Peel the garlic clove and roughly chop. Sprinkle a little salt on the chopped garlic and and use the flat side of your knife to smash the garlic into a paste. You'll have to make several passes of your knife and just sweep and spread the garlic on your cutting board. The salt helps grind the garlic.

Drain pasta and return it to the pan. Off of the heat, add the tuna, garlic, olive oil, red and black pepper and parmesan. Toss gently until combined. Return the pan to low heat and warm the contents while continuing to gently toss. Finish with a dash of vinegar or lemon juice (you'll need it).

I know it sounds crazy, but it's so delicious. The key is using tuna in olive oil; it doesn't taste as dry as water-packed and it melts in your mouf. This dish probably cost me $3 to pull together. And it's sooooooo gooood. I want more now.

I got the idea when I was walking around an Italian deli today. I saw the cans of imported oil packed tuna, and remembered that my boyfriend Alton Brown was in love with it. Then I saw the eggy looking homemade dried pasta and an idea was born. I was originally going to go with a cold pasta-tuna salad with some capers, dijon mustard and a little mayonnaise or vinaigrette. That would have worked, but I didn't want to mask the flavor of this tuna. I'm serious, it is good shit.

If this dish had herpes, I'd go on Valtrex for it.

So there's that,

Laura

2 comments:

Jamespatrick said...

I swear I made this exactly (minus the garlique) about once a week whilst I was last in Spain, and attempting to cook away my loneliness. A fun addition: frozen peas! Adds a little green and goes great with the tuna!

Laura said...

i almost did the peas! i put them in everything. i just wanted it to be more euro; if i added them, i'd start adding more stuff to turn it into tuna noodle casserole.