One of those wonderful from-the-pantry pasta dishes that can be prepared in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. Canned tuna is not only acceptable but necessary; but the ideal tuna here would be that taken from the tuna’s belly, the fattiest part, and cured (preferably by your Sicilian grandmother) in great olive oil. Assuming you don’t have that, buy tuna packed in olive oil from Italy or Spain. (In a serious specialty store, you might find belly tuna—probably labeled ventresca—packed in olive oil. It’s dynamite.) What you’re looking for is dark, soft meat that will flake nicely and add its rich flavor to the sauce.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　1 medium onion, roughly chopped

　　1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

　　2 tablespoons drained capers

　　One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

　　1 pound long pasta, like spaghetti or linguine

　　One or two 6-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil

　　Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Put the olive oil in a deep skillet or a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper and capers, then the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break up, 10 to 15 minutes; then lower the heat and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Cook the pasta in the boiling water, stirring frequently, until it is tender but not mushy. Just before it’s done, stir the tuna into the tomato sauce, breaking it into flakes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, or red pepper as necessary.

　　

Step 3

Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce, garnish with the parsley if you wish, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.