This pasta reminds me of all the flavors of the Amalfi coast. It's a simple, uncooked sauce—perfect for summer—which comes together while you are cooking the pasta. The key is to use a really good imported tuna packed in olive oil, sweet summer tomatoes, and the freshest herbs. Mint and tomatoes go really well together. So do tomatoes and orange. I decided to gild the lily and throw everything together and it worked quite nicely. It was so delicious that Bunny and Wallie ate every speck and were licking their pasta bowls. I think I'll call this one:
Spaghettini Positano
- 1 lb spaghettini or spaghetti
- 1 5 or 6 oz can or jar of imported Italian or Spanish tuna (Genova or Flott) packed in olive oil
- 3-4 glugs of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup or so)
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes (different colors are lovely), seeded and chopped
- 1/3 a bunch of chives, minced (about a handful)
- 1/2 a Vidalia, Texas Sweet or Maui sweet onion, chopped
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves, rough-chopped
- the juice of one orange, if you don't have an orange, a lemon (if you don't have fresh citrus, skip it)
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- small dried Tuscan chilis to crumble over your serving (or chili flakes)
Cook pasta for about a minute less than the box indicates in generously salted water.
Place remaining ingredients in a large serving bowl, toss together gently, then season to taste with salt and pepper. When pasta is cooked and drained, dump into the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve at once. (Cheese is not served with this sauce.)
Here is the sauce hanging out, waiting for its pasta partner.
