Last time I wrote a post about pasta, I was almost uncertain readers were going to like it at all, and then it became my most popular post of all times within a couple of days! Add the fact I basically rediscovered my passion for pasta and for my roots while writing that post, and you’ll get why this whole thing is becoming now a blog series in the first place!

Since many of you liked my tips and recipes on how to cook pasta like an Italian, I thought I’d bring it back with some more traditional pasta recipes for you to try out and cook at home the real Italian way. This time we’re talking two classics but some you can’t really go wrong with! And they taste very Italian indeed!

Tuna Pasta

Truth is there are so many ways to implement tuna in your pasta and all of them are legit, but to me there’s no such a thing like good quality pasta with tuna in tomato sauce. To me tuna pasta is all about that, the perfect balance of flavours, leaving the cheese out of the games for once! And if you ask me, here in Italy we don’t really do tuna pasta differently (without tomato sauce) all too often at all! This is one of my favourite ways to cook pasta for myself, so quick and easy but extremely tasty!

This sauce works well with any type of pasta really, but I usually avoid spaghetti and instead prefer any shapes that can hold the sauce nicely like penne or fusilli or maccheroni.

Ingredients (serves 2):

– 160g pasta (any pasta shape is good, but I’d suggest penne, fusilli or maccheroni)
– A drizzle of olive oil
– 2 small tins of tuna in brine (around 160g)
– 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
– 5/6 tablespoons of tomato sauce
– Cherry tomatoes to serve

Method:

01 :: In the meanwhile pasta is cooking, place a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan and add in the tuna. Place on a medium heat and leave it for a couple of minutes to allow the tuna to infuse its flavour in the oil.

02 :: Add in the tomato concentrate and give it a nice stir with a wooden spoon, lastly add the tomato sauce and stir well again. Allow the sauce to cook for around 5/7 minutes, stirring occasionally in the meanwhile. As soon as you notice your sauce is getting thicker, add a splash or two of pasta water and allow it to absorbe completely before serving.

03 :: Drain your pasta and pop it into the saucepan you’re using for your sauce. Stir the pasta in its sauce a couple of times while still on the heat. Then remove and serve into plates.

04 :: Cut a couple of cherry tomatoes in halves and place them in a small saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil, then cover with the pan lid. Allow them to soften and then top your tuna pasta with them!

Trofie al pesto

Pesto is not something I was used to do homemade, but it’s quite surprising, when you give it a try, how easy and quick it is to put it together and how good your pasta tastes with it! With pesto you should always pair trofie if you plan to stick to traditions, but we love pesto with any pasta really, especially with shapes that, again, can hold the sauce nicely! Try using your own basil for this, it’ll taste so much better!

Ingredients (serves 2):
– 160g trofie
– 1/4 clove of garlic
– 30 leaves of basil
– 10g pine nuts
– 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan
– 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
– A pinch of cooking salt

Method:

01 :: Meanwhile your pasta is cooking, go hand-pick your basil from your kitchen garden. It’s always better to pick it up right before you eat it! Place the basil, garlic, cooking salt, pine nuts and a tablespoon of olive oil in an electric mixer (or, better, use an immersion blender, it’s easier!) and blend until you get a thick cream.

02 :: Start adding the parmesan and the rest of the olive oil a tablespoon per time and blend in the meanwhile. When you’re done, taste your pesto and, if needed, add more oil (if it’s too thick) or parmesan (to enhance flavours). If some of the pine nuts are still big, it’s fine, they’ll add a nice texture to your pesto.

03 :: Drain your pasta and serve with your homemade pesto! Enjoy!

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That’s it, two more pasta recipes, the traditional Italian way!
What’s your favourite way to cook pasta? x