The recipe I am about to share is one of my favorite "clean out the
pantry" dishes. It's not so much a pasta salad as it is a pasta that is meant to be served at room temperature.
This makes it perfect for casual buffet lunches or dinners, or for picnics and potlucks. It's good cold, better when
it's at room temperature, but whatever you do, don't toss the ingredients while the pasta is hot. You'll have a gloppy,
wilted pasta on your hands if you do.Note: Use only imported oil-packed tuna and salted capers for this. Don't skimp on quality or you'll taste the difference.
Stefania Butler's Pasta with Tuna, Capers, and Lemon
Any short pasta (penne, rigatoni, gemelli, campanelle, farfalle, shells, etc.)
extra virgin olive oil
1 7 ounce jar oil-packed tuna (Callipo or Flott)
1 tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed thoroughly and patted dry between two paper towels
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 generous handful finely chopped, flat leaf parsley, leaves only
1 Meyer (preferred) lemon, juiced
1 Meyer (preferred) lemon cut into very thin (almost transparent) slices
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than what package indicates. Drain. Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil, then spread onto a couple of large jelly roll pans to cool. DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA TO COOL IT.
Meanwhile, dump the tuna (and the oil it was packed in) into a large bowl and flake it into large chunks. Then add capers, onion, parsley, and lemon juice, along with 3-4 good "glugs" of extra virgin olive oil. Mix gently. Set aside.
When pasta is cooled, add to tuna mixture. Toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings, add in lemon slices and toss again. Serve at once (preferred) or refrigerate then bring to room temperature and toss before serving.
[photo: Stefania Pomponi Butler]
What Can I Get You Folks? - Eating Out for Thanksgiving
In Defense of Guy Fieri
'Top Chef Vegas' - And Then There Were Five
