Tuna pasta sauce with linguine

Tuna pasta sauce with linguine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

375g/13oz dried linguine
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small chilli pepper, finely chopped
1cm/½in fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
450g/1lb carton or bottle passata
400g tin of tuna fish in oil, drained and roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and gently fry 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the garlic, chilli and the ginger for a few minutes until slightly soft. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another few minutes. Stir in the tuna and salt.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley and freshly ground pepper.

Note:
Passata is a thick paste made from strained tomatoes and used especially in Italian cooking..

Passata is an uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skins. It originated in Italy but is used throughout Europe. Some passatas are chunkier and some are smoother, depending on the brand. Some people claim that passata can also be cooked, but most agree that it is uncooked. You will also see it spelled passato and passata di pomodoro.

How is passata different from tomato sauce or tomato paste? Well, both the sauce and paste are cooked tomato products to begin with. Tomato sauce often has other ingredients such as carrots, onions, garlic, etc. And tomato paste is cooked down and much thicker. You would not want to substitute either product if passata is called for in your recipe. If you cannot find it in your store, take plain canned tomatoes and run them through a sieve or a food mill. While most passatas are just plain tomatoes, some are sold with additions, such as basil.