Pasta with tuna, basil and lemon

I almost always have a couple of cans of Italian tuna packed in olive oil on the counter. I just love that stuff, and I could eat it right out of the can. A few years ago I started making a pasta out of it that always turned out pretty good.

The other night, I was going to make up a batch of this for some friends. As I was getting started, I saw a large lemon on the counter. Hmm. Then I remembered I have some fresh basil in my garden. I decided to add these to my tuna pasta. Here’s what I did.

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

1 large onion, chopped fine

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. dry basil

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 tsp. flour

Cajun seasoning

White pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup (approximate) of chicken or vegetable broth

2 6 oz. cans of tuna packed in olive oil

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup fresh torn basil leaves

1 lb. rigatoni, cooked and drained

Preparation

Heat a large skillet until hot. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and stir. Let that cook about ten minutes until the onion is soft and starting to turn golden.

Add the anchovy, basil and oregano and stir until the anchovy kind of dissolves. Stir in the flour and sprinkle on some cajun seasoning. Stir until all the flour is absorbed in the oil and let it cook for about a minute. Add the white wine and stir, and then add a cup of the broth. Stir and bring it to a boil. 

Reduce the heat so it simmers. You want it to have a gravy consistency, so you may have to cook it a few minutes to thicken it (Or if you are like me and don’t measure anything, you might need to add more broth. Either way, adjust it so it has the right thickness).

Add the tuna and break it up with a knife and fork. Stir to incorporate it into the sauce. Once it is simmering again, stir in the lemon juice. Let that simmer one minute and turn off the heat. Add the torn basil leaves and toss the sauce with the rigatoni in a large bowl. Serve immediately.

Serving

We served this pasta, next to a pasta with a basil/tomato/sausage sauce. To that, we added some homemade bread, a bowl of olives and a bottle of ice cold Vinho Verde wine. I sprinkled a little crumbled blue cheese over my tuna pasta and grated parmesan over my tomato pasta. I also went back for a huge second helping and got a sidewards glance from my friends, for overeating.