First Night in Florence Spaghetti

I have made this dish four times in as many days since I first discovered it.  Maybe it's because I'm feeling nostalgic for Italy and wanting to get out of this crazy New England snow.  Maybe it's the way the olive oil, tomatoes, and lemon juice come together like magic to make this unbelievably fresh tasting sauce.  Or maybe it's the way the tuna and garlic linger on the tongue and then in my dreams.  Whatever it is, you need to make this pasta stat.

This dish comes together quickly; while the pasta is cooking, you'll be starting the sauce so that by the time the pasta is almost al dente, you toss it into the pan that the sauce is in to finish cooking it.  So I usually start cutting up the tomatoes and mincing the garlic while I wait for the water to boil.

For this recipe, make sure you use the tuna that's packed in olive oil, not water.  And don't pour out the oil; add it to the sauce.  Speaking of olive oil, you'll want to use a good one, and lots of it.  I used the last of the olive oil I got from Tuscany for this, and it was worth it.  I also used the last of the squid ink pasta I got from Venice since I figured the brininess would go well with the tuna (and because it's photogenic).  All this just means I'll have to go back to Italy soon to stock up again!

First Night in Florence Spaghetti (adapted from The Solitary Cook by way of Food52)
serves 2

1/2 package of spaghetti
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Good olive oil, and lots of it
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tin of tuna packed in olive oil
A few handfuls of spinach or Swiss chard leaves
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Get a large pot of salted water boiling.  Add the pasta and start a timer to cook for 3 minutes less than what the package calls for (i.e. if the package says to cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes, cook it for 7).

In a pan large enough to hold all the pasta, add 5-6 generous glugs of olive oil heat on medium-high (it should be at least twice what you think you'll need).  Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt.  While the tomatoes soften, you may want to (carefully!) smoosh them to help release their juices.  When there are 2 minutes left on the pasta, add the minced garlic.  When there is 1 minute left on the pasta, add the tuna plus the oil it's packed in, breaking up any large chunks of fish.

When the timer is up on the pasta, use tongs or a pasta spoon to add the spaghetti to the pan.  Add some of the pasta cooking water to the pan too (the original recipe calls for a few ladlefuls, but I like a little less than that).  Add the greens and lemon juice and toss everything around, cooking until the leaves is just wilted.  Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. 

Next:  Hugo & Victor's Pink Grapefruit Tart
Previously:  Odile's Fresh Orange Cake
Last Year:  Okonomiyaki
Six Years Ago:  New England Clam Chowda with Homemade Oyster Crackers

Spicy Tuna with Crispy Sushi Rice

After making Nobu's miso marinated black cod, I decided to try and make my other favorite dish there:  the spicy tuna with crispy sushi rice.  The spicy tuna is pretty much what you'd expect--fresh tuna chopped up and mixed with spicy mayonnaise and scallions.  The genius of the dish is the crispy sushi rice.  Sushi rice is chilled and cut into cubes, then flash fried just so the outside is crispy and in the inside is still sweet and chewy.  Paired with the spicy tuna and dipped in some light soy, the flavor and texture combination is irresistible.

For the recipe below, I used Alton Brown's recipe for making sushi rice, The Kitchn's recipe for making spicy tuna, and the method for making the crispy sushi rice from Nobu's Vegetarian Cookbook.

 
Spicy Tuna with Crispy Sushi Rice
serves 2-3 as an appetizer

1 cup uncooked sushi rice or short grain rice
1 cup water, plus extra for rinsing rice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 lb. sashimi grade tuna
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
Sriracha sauce, to taste

Oil, for deep frying
Light soy sauce

Rinse the uncooked rice several times until the water runs clear.  Cook the rice in a rice cooker with a cup of water.

 
Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Pour over the cooked rice and stir to cover each grain of rice with the mixture. 

Firmly pack the rice into a musubi maker or roll it tightly into a rectangular log.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

 
Dice the tuna into small pieces, and then chop finely.

 
Mix with the scallions, mayonnaise, and a squirt of sriracha sauce.  Mix and taste.  Add more sriracha sauce if you like.  Set aside in the refrigerator while you fry the sushi rice.

 
Heat the oil for deep frying to 350°F.

 
Remove the sushi rice from the refrigerator and carefully cut into 1 inch cubes.

 
Insert a toothpick into each cube and deep fry in the oil until browned.  Serve with the spicy tuna and some light soy sauce for dipping.

Next:  Traditional Croissants
Previously:  Tartine's Lemon Cream Tart
Four years ago:  Buckeyes, Thin Crust Chicken Masala Pizza