Paccheri al tonno- paccheri with tuna

If only I could turn back time and send myself back to beautiful Tropea, an ancient Roman seaside town on the Tyrrhenian sea in Calabria. This is the place I first tried this tasty tube-like  pasta. Although I cook many pasta dishes with tuna I had never used paccheri before (however this type of pasta is typically from Naples). My friend Silvana and I enjoyed a long lunch together in Tropea and during our lengthy stay we made friends with the owners, a married couple (their names unfortunately lapse my memory). It was such a cosy restaurant, the owners two young daughters sat at the table next to us as they enjoyed their lunch break from school. Any-way the husband who is the chef kindly entrusted me with the recipe for this simple dish. So if I just close my eyes during the freezing winter months in Viareggio I might be transported back to sunny Tropea! 

As you may know I recently found myself a job cooking for some local builders. They requested to have seafood, hence I served this as the first course (yes, pasta is a first course in Italy).  The plates came back to the kitchen spotlessly clean...phew!

Restaurant: 

La Pentola d'Oro 

Via Pelliccia sns, Tropea Italia

PH: 0963 607 073

What you need (serves four people):
500g paccheri pasta
160g canned tuna in olive oil (roughly)
one red onion diced 
two cloves of garlic
two ripe small cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
parsley for garnish

the workers enjoying their 3 course lunch break

How to make:

1:  Place the paccheri in a large pot of generously salted boiling water. Boil for the amount of time listed on the packet- roughly 16 minuets

2: In a separate pan and the smashed garlic, olive oil and diced onion with a pinch of salt. Lightly saute until the onions become transparent, however be sure not to brown

3: Add the tuna and warm through

4: Just before serving add the fresh tomatoes and toss through the sauce

5: Add the cooked pasta to the sauce making sure the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce, heat over a low flame for one minute. Serve with fresh parsley (and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired- I like it)

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