Monday, 23 September 2013

Spaghetti ai frutti di mare... on a budget

One thing I've noticed here is how much attention is paid to the purse strings, nothing is wasted and everything is made to last as long as possible. If you don't finish your dessert, it's put in the fridge for you for the next day... and if you leave it then, it'll certainly go to the cats before it goes in the bin! This dish has a similar ethos... although it doesn't involve cats. Seafood is a pretty luxury ingredient so this may seem like an odd one to associate with 'budget'. However, what makes it budget is the way Guiseppina adapted the recipe to make it go further. Where seafood is the Christian Dior of the fish world, tinned tuna is probably the Primark. However, it's still very good for you and its oily qualities compliment this dish nicely... whilst, most importantly, bulking the dish up to serve 2-3 rather than 1-2. You can either think of it as a downgrade of the Spaghetti Vongole, or an upgrade of Tuna Pasta Bake... I'm a glass half full kind of girl so I'm going for the latter. Adding to that, the brine from the tinned tuna adds to the sauce, resulting in less olive oil consumption (and given the amount we're going through here, that can't be a bad thing!)



Serves 2 - 3

160g spaghetti
1 tiny dried chilli, chopped finely
1 small tin of tuna in brine
200g frozen, mixed seafood, defrosted
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Small handful of parsley, finely chopped (add a pinch of salt to make this process easier)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

  • Add all the fish to a frying pan (including the juices from the tuna tin) with 1 tbsp. of oil and all the garlic and chilli. Fry on a low heat whilst you cook the pasta.
  • Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
  • Once the pasta is 2 minutes from being ready, add the parsley and extra oil to the frying pan and turn off the heat.
  • Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tbsp. of the water.
  • Combine the pasta, water and seafood mix and serve.

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