Tuna Or Sardine And Olive Paste Food

PASTA CON SARDE (PASTA WITH SARDINES)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente, or 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and keep warm.
• Place another 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook just until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sardines, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. If necessary to give the mixture a crumbly texture, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and pepper, and remove from the heat. If desired, serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH TUNA AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. In a large pasta bowl, break up the tuna. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan or saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, and remove from the heat. Add to the tuna. Add the parsley or basil, and mix together.
• Add the tomato sauce to the pan, heat through and season to taste with salt and add pepper and the red pepper flakes if using. Stir in the olives.
• When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, add a generous tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, until firm to the bite, following the cooking instructions on the package but checking the pasta a minute or two before the indicated time. Remove 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and mix with the tuna.
• When the pasta is al dente, drain and transfer to the bowl with the tuna. Add the tomato sauce with the olives, toss everything together, and serve. Pass the Parmesan at the table.

PASTA DE SARDINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for about 8 minutes, or until almost tender.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the sardines with their sauce. When the sardines heat through, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
• When the pasta is almost done, drain, and add it to the sardine sauce. Stir, cover, and turn the heat off. Let stand for a few minutes to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Squeeze juice from the lemon over the pasta. Divide onto serving plates, and top with red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH TUNA, TOMATOES, GARLIC, CAPERS, AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of rapidly boiling water until al dente or done to your liking.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Place olive oil and the garlic in a large saute pan and turn heat to medium. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Add capers, anchovies, olives, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down and become a sauce, about 8 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta. Add parsley and tuna and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

TUNA (OR SARDINE) AND OLIVE PASTE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients.
• Process to form a thick paste, adding additional oil if necessary to form a smooth puree.
• Taste for seasoning.
• The spread can be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
• Variation: Along the same lines, prepare a more pungent sardine-based spread, or sardinade, substituting a 3 3/4 ounce can of best-quality sardines cured in olive oil for the canned tuna.

SARDINE TAPENADE

Steps:

• Mix together the olive paste, garlic and the sardines with their oil. Season with plenty of pepper.
• You can toss this with 1 pound of pasta by adding 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.