The second half of my cookbook shoot begins on Tuesday and I’ve spent the last few days in prep mode. We’re shooting 68 recipes in six days, which is manageable but takes an incredible amount of planning. While I’m working with my absolute dream team of friends on the shoot itself, the prep is all me. So far I’ve been to three grocery stores and two farm stands and I’m only halfway through my grocery list.
In an effort to clean out the fridge/use whatever was in the pantry to get ready for the shoot, I turned to this pasta dish, which is a riff on one I included in To the Last Bite. The idea is that you can really use whatever you have on hand. If you’re vegetarian (or not a tuna fan), try canned chickpeas. Use whatever tender herbs you have in the fridge. Don’t have peppers? Use capers, or something else that adds a bit of punch. Vinegar can be swapped for acid. You get the picture!
I took ten minutes to sit in the sun and eat this on the deck and for just a moment when I closed my eyes I almost convinced myself that I was eating this somewhere along the Mediterranean with not a care in the world. Almost.
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
½ pound long pasta of choice
Two 5-ounce cans olive oil-packed tuna, drained and flaked
½ cup pitted castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped
½ cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 medium garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped chives
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta through a colander.
Meanwhile, add the tuna, olives, peppers, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley and chives to a large bowl and mix to combine.
Add the pasta and toss until well combined. Serve immediately.