The star of this recipe is finocchio, end of story. This might sound superfluous, but on the very first bite you’ll understand what I mean and I am almost sure you will “forgive” this… arrogance.
It’s probably the unique taste and the distinguished aroma of finocchio that makes this dish so enticing. The essence of ouzo and anise, left on your taste buds, brings out a special taste in a regular, predictable fish like tuna.
You probably figured out that I can live quite happily without eating tuna often, unlike Kostas who just loves it. So, all it takes is the magic touch of finocchio, to make us both happy and save us from a… double cooking shift.
INGREDIENTS
For 2 persons
- 1 finocchio, medium size, in slice
- 2 fresh onions, finely chopped
- 1 shot of ouzo or raki or tsipouro or half a glass of white wine
- 300g of tagliatelle or any other type of pasta
- 200g of tuna from a jar or can
- 2 tsp of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon peel
INSTRUCTIONS
Boil a pan of water for the pasta. As soon as it boils, drop in the pasta, after adding a tablespoon of salt.
Let them boil for a couple minutes less than you usually do.
In a frying pan, warm up some olive oil and add finocchio, onions, salt and pepper and stir constantly to sauté and soften them.
Pour some alcohol and stir again, add the tuna without crumbling it to pieces; it’s nice to have whole pieces of fish that will be noticeable to the taste.
With a fork, take the pasta out of the boiling pan and put them in the frying pan with the tuna. It’s a good idea to keep some of their water, too.
Stir the pasta and the tuna sauce well, for about 1 minute.
Serve in a large plate, sprinkling some lemon peel and, if you want, some drops of lemon juice; the combination is exquisite.
