Summer Pantry Week Two

A few years ago I was working on a book with the working title, The Music of Food. For that project (not completed) I interviewed well known musicians whose second passion was cooking. My favorite question to ask was, What do you want to eat when madly in love? The answers were all fabulous but one stood out above the rest, from Grace Potter:

Spaghetti. All day. I mean, it’s a love food! It is the most romantic food in the world because it’s just like…twirl things around in your mouth, basically what love is, you know? Whether it’s the tongue or something else. It’s basically the most — I think it’s essential food. For me the tactile experience is like twirling the pasta, or if I am madly in love with someone who doesn’t know how to twirl pasta, watching his clumsy fingers trying to learn how to twirl pasta. I love that so much, it’s one of my favorite things. So it’s a lady in the tramp experience you know…

With Grace in mind, we put together four no-cook pasta sauces for Week Two in Summer Pantry. Most of the ingredients come straight from the cans, jars, bottles, and boxes sitting on your pantry shelves this very minute. No need to turn on the oven! Let’s keep the heat out of the kitchen and in rooms where hotness really belongs. First put love right on the dinner plate. Satisfying a tummy ignites happiness in the heart. Proudly serve a plate of pasta that will delight the pickiest eater in your house, or a James Beard Award-winning chef if one happens to drop by around dinnertime. 

P.S. Still time to sign up for the rest of our Summer Pantry series HERE, and you should because you never know what you will learn. More than the recipes!

Spaghetti with Tuna, Garlic, and Cream Sauce

Mix everything by hand to get a grainier, more interesting texture. Delicious with shell pasta! Seggiano is my favorite brand, carried by Whole Foods. The pasta has a rough surface to which the sauce can cling…

• 7-ounce can of tuna packed in olive oil, drained 

• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine

• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems discarded, leaves chopped

• 4 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 3 tablespoon butter, softened

• salt and black pepper in a grinder

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana, plus additional for the table

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for about 9 minutes, or according to directions. 

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mash the drained tuna with a fork. Add garlic, parsley, cream, egg, butter, salt, liberal grindings of pepper, and 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Mix well until a creamy sauce emerges. Taste and correct with salt and pepper.

3. Drain pasta, toss immediately with tuna mixture, and serve at once.