spicy tuna pantry pasta

• portioner: SERVES 4 TO 6

Ingredienser

Kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, cut into 3/8-inch chunks

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped

Calabrian chile paste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound spaghetti, bucatini, linguine, or penne

1 14-ounce can cherry tomatoes (see note)

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Two 5- or 6-ounce cans or jars olive oil- packed Spanish or Italian tuna, undrained

1 lemon

Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Vejledning

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Set a large nonreactive skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and just beginning to brown, about 12 minutes.

Move the onion to the edges of the pan and add 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the anchovies, chile paste to taste, and tomato paste and cook, gently breaking up the pastes with a wooden spoon until the oil turns uniformly orange and the anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it's nearly al dente, 7 to 12 minutes, depending on the shape. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the pasta.

Increase the heat under the skillet to medium and add the cherry tomatoes. Ladle a little pasta water into the can, Swirl it around, and add it to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer, using the back of the spoon to break up the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to appear jammy, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in the Parmesan, tuna, and tuna oil. Taste the sauce and, taking into consideration that you'll still be adding some salted pasta water, adjust the seasoning with salt and chile paste as desired.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the drained pasta to the skillet, tossing with sauce until well coated. As the sauce continues to cook and thicken onto the noodles, add a few tablespoons of pasta water at a time to loosen it up as much as needed. The sauce may also need another tablespoon or so of olive oil. This last step is all about tasting, stirring, and tinkering until the sauce comes together to coat the pasta in just the right way, ideally at precisely the Same moment the nO0dles ross over to al dente.

Grate the zest of the lemon over the pasta and add the parsley. Toss again, taste, and add lemon juice, if desired. Serve immediately, topped with more chile paste and Parmesan, if desired.

Notater

The key here is using quality pantry staples: Canned ltalian cherry tomatoes, sometimes labeled pomodorini, are sweeter than their full size counterparts (though you can substitute 1½ cups whole San Marzano tomatoes in their juice if needed). Italian or Spanish olive oil-packed tuna is truly superior in flavor and texture. And of cOUrse, real Parmesan, to which all other cheeses pale in comparison.

Recipe from good things, by samin nosrat.