Tuna, tomato & fennel pasta
A weeknight recipe to keep in your back pocket
Hiya everyone!
How very British of me to start a newsletter chatting about the weather. But last weekend! Hello! What a hot hoot that was!! Only now I’m back in my thermals, clutching a hot water bottle and doing everything I can to get the circulation going in my fingers and toes. Classic March - teasing us with glimpses of Spring before plunging us back into the depths of chill. But hey, at least the sun is shining :)
And speaking of March - it’s bit of a meh moment for seasonal produce. Nothing is really getting me too excited. But all is well, as asparagus will be knocking on our doors very very soon - yipee! And so this in-between time is perfect for leaning into our trusty store cupboard staples. There will never not be some variety of tinned fish in my cupboard. Sardines, mackerel, tuna - always on hand, always delivering. Perfect on toast, perfect in a salad, perfect in pasta!
Which brings me onto today’s recipe: a very simple, pretty speedy, very delicious tuna, tomato & fennel pasta. Nothing fancy, nothing frilly, just the sort of recipe you can keep in your back pocket to whip out any weeknight when you want speed, comfort, satisfaction and flavour.
The Recipe
Tomato, tuna & fennel pasta
Many of you voted in last week’s polls for more weeknight recipes to feed 2 (thank you for voting!). So this one seems like a nice spot to start. Just a handful of ingredients you’ve probably already got, and about 30 mins of your time. I’ve used 2 tins of tuna in the recipe, which is pretty generous, but not overly so. But if it’s a little too much for you, simply scale back and use one tin between two. If you’re a big fennel fan like me, add an extra teaspoon of fennel seeds. I personally think this works best with a long pasta shape - I used mafaldine, but linguine, spaghetti or bucatini would work just as well. It’s easy and adaptable. I hope you like it!
Feeds 2 | Takes 25 mins
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
3 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
300g cherry tomatoes
A good handful of fresh basil leaves
2 x 120g tins of good-quality tinned tuna, preferably in olive oil
150g pasta of choice - anything long like linguine, mafaldine, bucatani or spaghetti are all great contenders would be perfect
Fresh rocket & lemon wedges to serve
Method
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook gently for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and start to infuse into the oil, just softening the garlic so that it doesn’t brown.
Tip in the tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and let them slowly break down and get jammy - about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. You don't want the tomatoes to totally collapse, but their juices will ooze to eventually create a sauce - make sure the heat isn’t too high as it’ll cook off all of the juices too quickly. Add the basil leaves, whole, about halfway through cooking to let them wilt into the sauce.
While that's cooking, bring a pan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve a mug of starchy pasta water before draining.
After about 10 minutes, the tomatoes should be looking all jammy and their juices should be releasing. Add the tuna and the oils from the tin to the tomatoes, breaking it up gently, and crack in a good amount of black pepper - adjust the seasoning with salt to your liking. If you’re using tuna just in brine or water, add a drizzle of olive oil at this point too to give it a nice glossyness. Add the pasta straight into the pan, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water to help it all come together. Stir everything well to coat, making sure all the sauce clings onto the pasta.
Plate up and serve with fresh rocket, an extra drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, if you like. An extra crack of black pepper wouldn’t go amiss here either.
The little corner of every newsletter where I share random bits & bobs I’ve been loving, found inspiring, would recommend, or simply something fun and worth sharing.
One of my favourite recipes right now
Keen to try these sandwiches
Putting these pickles on everything
And I know this is nothing new, if not old news! But I recently saw the latest Bridget Jones movie, I laughed, I cried, I had a great time. So if it’s been on your mind, do it, do it!
& one extra bite…
As always, the biggest thank you for being here. I’m hoping you’re enjoying Table Read! And if you are, I’d be so grateful if you wanted to share the newsletter with anyone else who you think may enjoy it too (they sound pretty great).
Usually my newsletters drop every other Sunday, but I’ll be dropping my next one next Sunday with a recipe in prep for Mother’s Day - or more so, just a nice Sunday recipe to feed a crowd. So if you’ve already liked what you’ve tasted and don’t yet subscribe, make sure you do so you don’t miss out! It’d be great to have you here.
I’ll catch ya in the next newsletter!
Han xx