Michelle,

That looks and sounds terrific, and it reminds me of a classic Italian-Jewish recipe that I love: pasta all’ebraica. Essentially the same as the J of C recipe, but usually with whole wheat spaghetti, and without the capers and olives. The other difference is that rather than being a quick cook, the Venetian recipe is a slow, gentle cook of the garlic and anchovies together until they form an intense, sweet, naturally broken down puree. I think I'll need to make that soon. The condo will smell of sweet garlic-anchovy perfume for a full week.

Kenny

Thanks, Kenny, it is good - I've found that even with the short cook, the garlic and anchovy break down nicely (sometimes with a little encouragement from a fork.) Nobody in the family really likes tuna except this way - the garlic is akin to roasted garlic in the end product, and it's yummy.

Though I haven't desert-ized it (can't imagine it without fresh garlic,) it was this recipe that inspired the whole food desert project.

Mhays wrote:I finally found my worn-out copy of Joy of Cooking that has been relegated to the basement since I bought a newer edition (which I like much less) It contains the following recipe that I made using Tonno:

I have not one, not two, but three editions of JoC on my cookbook shelves. But I'm a nut for cookbooks.

Here is the recipe I use Tonno tuna for. The tuna is so central it's important to use good tuna. It is adapted from Diane Seed's The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces. It's also a great quick weeknight recipe:

Spaghetti al Tonno e Limone

1 lb. pasta (Seed calls for spaghetti--hence the recipe's name--but I like to use farfalle)
2 tablespoons evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped Italian (flatleaf) parsley
1 can (6 oz.) tuna, preferably Italian tuna packed in olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
salt and lots of fresh pepper

While water heats for pasta and it cooks, heat the olive oil and saute garlic and parsley over low heat. Gradually add the drained and flaked tuna and heat. Don't let the mixture brown.

Drain the pasta and put into serving bowl. Add tuna mixture and stir. Add the lemon juice, cheese, butter pieces, and salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Serve immediately.

This is a very forgiving recipe. More garlic, less parsley, more or less cheese, it still works. Just use decent tuna and don't skimp on the butter. (Don't skimp on the butter should probably be my motto.)

Mmmmm...that sounds delicious, I'll have to try that as an alternative to our other quickie tuna pasta.

EvA wrote:Spaghetti al Tonno e Limone

This recipe sounds great. I make something very similar -- minus the lemon, plus crushed red peppers.

I'm gonna add the lemon next time. Seems like it would really work.

--Rich

Aaron and Rich,

Hope you like it. It's one of my standbys with ingredients I almost always have on hand.

Evy