Pasta al tonno a modo mio

Ingredients

• 150-200 g 5-7 oz casarecce or other short pasta
• Salt
• A clove of garlic (peeled and cut in half)
• 1 can (200g/7 oz tunafish, packed in olive oil, well drained of its canning juices)
• 1-2 medium tomatoes (cut into pieces)
• A handful of capers (preferably packed in salt, rinsed and squeezed dry)
• A handful of olives (pitted and roughly chopped)
• A pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley (minced)
• Olive oil (lots of it)
• Salt (to taste)
• A few fresh basil leaves (torn into small pieces if large)
• A drizzle of colatura di alici (optional)
• A sprinkle of minced parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   First, put a large pot of water on to boil and salt it well.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, make your condimento: Get yourself a large bowl. (A wooden salad bowl is ideal here.)Take the garlic and rub the inside of the bowl vigorously with the cut ends of the garlic halves. (If you want a slightly more intense garlic flavor, leave them in the bowl and remove them just before you add your pasta. Otherwise discard them.)

3. 3

   Now break up the tuna into largish chunks and place in a large bowl. Add the capers, olives, red pepper flakes, parsley and olive oil to the bowl and very gingerly give it a turn or two to mix everything together, taking care not to break up the tuna fish too much. Taste and season lightly if it needs it.

4. 4

   When the water has come to a bowl, throw in the pasta and cook it until it is perfectly al dente. Drain the cooked pasta well and add it to the bowl, along with the basil leaves and a drizzle of colatura if using. Give everything another quick turn to mix—again, very gingerly to avoid breaking up the tuna.

5. 5

   Serve, topped with a sprinkle of parsley for color if you like.