# Luca's pasta with tuna and tomato



## Luca Lazzari (Apr 10, 2012)

Today I offer you a simple, classic pasta recipe, which always help me see the bright side of life.
And I applied one of my favorite psychological techniques in making it: in bocca a te, in bocca a me, in bocca al can, gnam gnam gnam. It’s a subtle technique used by my grandmother to make us toddlers eat all sort of horrible stuff, like boiled carrots, chicken soups and other nasty things. The old flesh and blood took a spoonful of the loathsome food, then started her charm: in bocca a te (in your mouth), approaching the toddler’s mouth but not delivering, in bocca a me (in my mouth) approaching her mouth, in bocca al can (in dog’s mouth, fictitious), gnam gnam gnam (chomp chomp chomp) now feeding the laughing and softened victim with the healthy stuff.
While cooking, I adopt a modified version of this technique: putting anchovies in the saucepan, I start chanting in bocca a me (I eat a couple of fillets form the can) in bocca a te (I eat again) in bocca al can (guess what I do?) gnam gnam gnam (now I put the needed fillets in the saucepan).
The recipe is quite simple, but there’s a warning note: if you don’t like anchovies or garlic, do not prepare it: I’m really sorry for all the anchovy/garlic haters platoon.

The ingredients are extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons), 2 cloves garlic (peeled; do not crush them), 6 or more tiny canned anchovy fillets, 200 g canned tuna, 400 g canned chopped tomatoes, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, a dozen pitted black olives, 1 tablespoon drained capers, 450 g of short pasta (rigatoni, tortiglioni) and a handful of coarse salt.

Start bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil; when it will boil, you will add the coarse salt and, when the sauce will be almost ready, add the pasta and cook it according to the label (or, better, taste it to have it as you like it most).
Warm the olive oil in a saucepan on low fire then put in the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes; when it’s golden/brown, take it away. Take away the saucepan from fire, let it rest for a moment then add the anchovy fillets and put it back on low fire (you don’t want to burn them). Using a wooden spoon, break the fillets, turning them in a sort of past; this cannot require more then a couple of minutes. Put the tuna in the saucepan ant stir well, breaking the tuna but leaving some piece of it, don’t melt it till the last particle. After about 2 minutes, add the olives, add the tomatoes, stir well, add salt to taste, add the oregano. Cook for about 20 minutes. If the sauce gets too dry, you can moist it later with some of the pasta cooking water.
When the pasta is cooked, put the warm sauce in a warm bowl, add the capers, add the pasta, stir well and serve at once. DO NOT add grated cheese, please. If you cannot eat it without cheese, please use pecorino instead of parmigiano.

Buon appetito!


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## Rocklobster (Apr 10, 2012)

This is a nice recipe. Thanks for sharing. My ex wife's Zia used to make this almost every day with hand made/cut pasta and bring it to our bar, where we worked, in the basket carrier of her bicycle.. It was already in bowls wrapped in towels. God bless her soul. I don't think I have had it since....


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## PrincessFiona60 (Apr 10, 2012)

OmiGosh!  Luca!  I love the sound of this, I'm writing it down for later!  Yum!!!


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## Dawgluver (Apr 10, 2012)

Luca, I don't love anchovies, but I DO love your narration!  Fun story!


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 11, 2012)

Dear Luca,

Thanks so much for posting this lovely quick simple pasta dish ... Shall certainly try it ... I love anchovies and oil packed tuna ... 

Hope all is going well and that you have had a lovely Easter holiday. 

Now we are back in Madrid and our routine laboral activities.

Kindest.
Margi.


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## Luca Lazzari (Apr 11, 2012)

Rocklobster said:


> This is a nice recipe. Thanks for sharing. My ex wife's Zia used to make this almost every day with hand made/cut pasta and bring it to our bar, where we worked, in the basket carrier of her bicycle.. It was already in bowls wrapped in towels. God bless her soul. I don't think I have had it since....



 You know, Rocklobster, you make me thing that I never had this pasta con tonno until I started cooking by myself, no one of my zie or nonne ever prepared it.



PrincessFiona60 said:


> OmiGosh!  Luca!  I love the sound of this, I'm writing it down for later!  Yum!!!



Buon appetito!



Dawgluver said:


> Luca, I don't love anchovies, but I DO love your narration!  Fun story!



Thanks Dawgluver, I'm trying really hard to write in a fairly decent English, but it's difficult, I'm lazy...



Margi Cintrano said:


> Dear Luca,
> 
> Thanks so much for posting this lovely quick simple pasta dish ... Shall certainly try it ... I love anchovies and oil packed tuna ...
> 
> ...



Ciao Margi, thanks, I've had better Easters but, as we say here in Italy, "basta ca ce sta 'o sole"...


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 11, 2012)

@ Luca,

Patience is an art Luca ... One that is learnt, sometimes the hard way ... Not a virtue at birth ... Haste makes waste we say ... and you are Lombardian, so you should be able to make a 4 formaggio pizza !!! with gorgonzola ... 

My pizza dough always comes out for me marvelously --- it is quint essential to keep the dough warm and let it rise ( double in size ) ... 

I would love a wood burning pizza oven and a pizza stone, however, this is another level ... Perhaps a pizza stone for the Condo verses Loft in Madrid ... 

Kindest.
Margi.


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## dcgator (Apr 11, 2012)

Bravo Luca! Mi fa ricordare da i spaghetti al tonno e alici, senza pomodori... Babbo mangiava delle scattole di acciugue una alla volta! 

Excellent! Dad used to eat whole cans of anchovies at a time, prior to eating spaghetti with tuna and anchovies... The smell went for miles...


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## Rocklobster (Apr 11, 2012)

My ex's zia also served that sauce on home made gnocchi.


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## Luca Lazzari (Apr 11, 2012)

dcgator said:


> Bravo Luca! Mi fa ricordare da i spaghetti al tonno e alici, senza pomodori... Babbo mangiava delle scattole di acciugue una alla volta!



A great man!



dcgator said:


> Excellent! Dad used to eat whole cans of anchovies at a time, prior to eating spaghetti with tuna and anchovies... The smell went for miles...



No anchovy smell, here: garlic wins...


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## Luca Lazzari (Apr 11, 2012)

Rocklobster said:


> My ex's zia also served that sauce on home made gnocchi.



I have to try this. My grandmother always made gnocchi col ragù, that is meat and tomato sauce. I usually eat gnocchi with pesto or walnut sauce, or simply with butter and sage.


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## dcgator (Apr 11, 2012)

Ai provato gnocchi ripieni di gorgonzola? gnam!!!!


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## Luca Lazzari (Apr 11, 2012)

dcgator said:


> Ai provato gnocchi ripieni di gorgonzola? gnam!!!!



No, but I tried gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce: DELICIOUS!


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