Paying homage to a classic Sicilian dish, this fabulous, simple, one-pot pasta dish uses mostly store cupboard ingredients and can be on the table in 45 minutes, with less than 10 minutes being hands on time.
This delectable fusion of tomatoes, pasta, tuna, black olives and roast garlic has a spicy element from the chilli flakes and is brightened with fresh mint. The mint sounds like an unusual addition, but it is a key part of the flavour profile of this dish, so please do not miss it out. It turns this dish from exceedingly tasty to sublime!
Serves 2
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 (fan 180°C).
Throw the tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and stalks of parsley into a pan you can use in the oven and on the hob.
Add the oil. If your tuna is in oil, you can use this and make up with olive oil, if necessary. Shake the pan well and pop in a preheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take out of the oven, remove the parsley stalks and garlic cloves. Take the skin off the garlic, mash the soft flesh and return to the tomatoes.
Add the orecchiette, boiling water and salt, mix well, pressing down on the tomatoes to create a delicious sauce. Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and finish cooking on the hob, being careful because the handle of the pan will be very hot. Boil briskly, stirring constantly to reduce the sauce and finish cooking the pasta. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling better to the sides of the pasta.
When the pasta is nearly cooked to your liking, add the tuna, olives and mint and heat through. It is ready when the orecchiette is cooked to your liking and it is swathed in a wonderful, fresh, tomato and tuna sauce. Please note:
- If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, continue to boil briskly to reduce quickly.
- If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, either as is, or with some garlic or fresh bread and a chopped green salad.
Equipment:
Can I cook this on the hob?
Yes you can! I like to pop it in the oven, put the timer on and forget about it. However, if you don’t want to turn the oven on, you can cook this dish solely on the hob. However, you will need to stir it from time to time to ensure the pasta does not stick to the pan.
Increasing the quantities:
This recipe serves 2 people. To increase the quantities you need to –
For example if you are cooking 110g pasta –