Fusilli With Fresh Tuna Mint Food

FUSILLI WITH TUNA AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the tomato sauce, tuna, capers, and lemon peel in a heavy large skillet. Using a fork, break the tuna into chunks. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Stir in the parsley and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

FUSILLI WITH FRESH POMODORO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the packaging suggests, about 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the flesh of the tomatoes, stopping when you are left with just the skin. Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes, whole basil and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the hot oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove the garlic and basil stems from the pot and stir in the ricotta. Add the pasta followed by the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir to combine and coat everything in the sauce.
• Cook for another 2 minutes to finish cooking the pasta and thicken the sauce slightly, adding pasta water if the sauce ever looks too dry. Stir in the chopped basil and serve topped with additional ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

PASTA WITH FRESH TUNA AND MINT

Steps:

• Add 4 tablespoons oil and the onion to a large skillet.
• Cook over low heat until the onion is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
• Add in the tomatoes and salt/pepper to taste; cook over medium heat, partly covered, until the juices thicken and a sauce forms, about 15 minutes.
• Cut the tuna into ½-inch dice; season with salt and pepper.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to a separate medium-size skillet, over medium heat.
• Add in tuna and toss until the tuna is cooked on the surface but still pink at the center.
• When the sauce has thickened, add the tuna, mint, and garlic; cook for 2-3 minutes, or until tuna is just cooked.
• Cook the conchiglie rigate in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente; drain well; place pasta in a serving bowl, add the sauce and toss gently; serve immediately.

TUNA NIçOISE FUSILLI

Steps:

• 1. Combine the fennel, diced pepper, tuna, olives, beans, oil, capers, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• 2. Shortly before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until it is just tender, or al dente. Drain pasta well and add to the tuna and vegetables. Carefully fold together with a rubber spatula, trying not to break up the tuna. Remove to a decorative serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature.

FUSILLI WITH FRESH TUNA & MINT

Steps:

• 1. Peel the garlic and toss in large pan with about 5tbs olive oil. When it starts to sizzle, add the tuna steaks. The oil must be very hot for we want to brown the tuna very quickly on the outside, whilst keeping the inside pink and moist (about 1 min. per side). Season with salt & pepper. Remove steaks and reserve.
• 2. Add the tomatoes, turn heat down, season with salt & pepper. Toss the fusilli in a pot of boiling water (salted, about 1 tbsp per liter), add a couple tbsp olive oil and leave to simmer away. Simple and straight, we don't want to mess around with too many flavors and herbs.
• 3. When the pasta is about to be ready (follow instructions on the packet),remove the garlic,dice your tuna steaks into 1/2 inch cubes and add to the tomatoes. Turn heat off. Chop parsley and mint and toss in with the rest. don't worry if it's a bit dry, you can always add some olive oil or, better, some of the pasta's cooking water.
• 4. Drain the fusilli and add to the pan. Toss and mix for the sauce to coat the pasta. If necessary add some of the pasta's water. transfer to serving dish. Decorate with more chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil for the shine, and a couple of mint leaves. Sicilian Inzolia (white)is a heavenly match for it. Watch a video of how I prepare this dish by clicking on the "video" icon underneath the picture on this page.