Olives, basil, lemons and seafood…all wonderful flavors from the Mediterranean in this perfect summer pasta dish. Its easy to prep ahead of time, then just cook the pasta and toss it all together when you’re ready to eat. If you have some basil and parsley growing in your garden you may not even need a trip to the store. My friend Dana Saxten gave me a cookbook years ago called Pasta Fresca, and this is the recipe from it that I keep coming back to. She and her husband Sandy have been in the restaurant business for years, and she once told me she could eat pasta every day! Me too…
12-14 oil-cured black olives, pitted
3 Tbs. pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
3 Tbs. chopped Italian parsley
1-2 bunches of fresh basil, leaves cut into julienne
2 6 1/2 ounce cans tuna, drained
1 pound imported perciatelli, broken into 3 inch lengths
Juice of 1 large lemon
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Coarsely chop the black olives and the pine nuts separately. In a pasta serving bowl, combine the olives, pine nuts, garlic, parsley, basil and tuna. Mix gently, breaking the tuna up slightly. Cook the pasta in abundant salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta well and place it in the serving bowl. Dress with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and mix well.
Serves 4 to 6
Note: This dish holds up well and can be served several hours later at room temperature if you wish. Perciatelli is a spaghetti with a hole running through it -fun! Spaghetti works fine of course.
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