Samin’s Spicy Tuna Pantry Pasta Recipe

When cookbook writer Samin Nosrat was residing in Italy in 2002, she had dinner at a pizzeria close to Piazza Santa Croce the place she ate a pizza topped with spicy tomato sauce, flakes of oil-packed tuna, and a calmly dressed pile of arugula. That pizza — made with substances she’d by no means imagined combining — gave her a primary glimpse of all of the methods her time in Italy would enrich her as a prepare dinner. For the subsequent two years, each time she went out for pizza, she scanned the menu for spicy tuna however by no means encountered it in Italy once more. So when a yearning for that pizza struck, she’d make herself a spicy tuna pasta as an alternative — one which makes use of high-quality pantry substances like canned Italian cherry tomatoes and actual Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

This recipe, featured in her new cookbook, Good Issues: Recipes and Rituals to Share with Individuals You Love, depends on pantry staples. Most of the substances — like dried pasta, canned tuna, and (extra not too long ago) Calabrian chiles — are pantry staples. Her use of canned cherry tomatoes, which burst till jammy, give the sauce a concentrated ripe sweetness that tastes prefer it has been slow-simmering for hours. And, in fact, the ultimate contact of lemon zest and juice stirred into the pasta proper earlier than serving lifts and brightens the dish.  

For Samin, approaching on a regular basis cooking as a ritual helps to additional sanctify and infuse it with that means. She’s not conscious of the mundanity of cooking a easy dish like this. As a substitute, she’s stuffed with a way of gratitude for the life she’s labored so exhausting to fill with friendship and sweetness. 

Why oil-packed tuna works for this recipe

Oil-packed tuna is usually richer, extra flavorful, and extra tender than water-packed tuna. As a result of this pasta is so easy, the tuna-infused oil is free taste. It behaves like a built-in ending oil, serving to the tomato, anchovy, and chile shine within the sauce. That oil blooms the garlic and chile and emulsifies with pasta water so the sauce clings to the noodles. Oil-packed tuna is available in Italian and Spanish varieties, and you need to use both for this dish.

What are you able to substitute for Calabrian chile paste?

Calabrian chile paste brings a medium, fruity warmth with delicate smokiness. You’ll be able to substitute it by hand-chopping jarred Calabrian chiles. If jarred Calabrian chiles are usually not accessible to you, you may replicate an identical warmth with crushed purple pepper flakes bloomed in oil. Blooming the dried chile flakes in oil will intensify their aroma and taste and infuse the oil. For those who’re warmth delicate, begin small and proceed to style because the sauce simmers, then modify as you go. 

Notes from the Meals & Wine Take a look at Kitchen

• If canned cherry tomatoes aren’t accessible, substitute with 1 (14-ounce) can of entire peeled San Marzano tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups).
• This pasta dish is endlessly adaptable with totally different pasta shapes. 
• Deal with the tuna gently when stirring and tossing so the fillets keep intact.

Steered pairing

A lighter-bodied Oregon Pinot Noir, such because the 2023 Soter Vineyards Planet Oregon, is a perfect match for this pasta. The wine’s shiny purple cherry and cranberry notes echo the sweetness of the jammy canned tomatoes, whereas its energetic acidity cuts via the richness of the olive oil–packed tuna. There are additionally delicate earthy undertones that complement the saltiness of the anchovies and warmth from the Calabrian chiles with out competing with their depth, making a pairing that feels balanced, refreshing, and deeply satisfying.