Viva Italia

Many moons ago, when I was a girl of 12, I was lucky enough to visit Italy on a school exchange. We learned Italian at primary school - instead of watching a video on Italian life - we fundraised our tails off and went there for the 'real thing'! I spent 3 weeks living with an Italian family in Tuscany, going to an Italian school, learning about the culture and experiencing the 'real' Italy. IT.WAS.AMAZING. I kept in touch with my dear friend and her family, first by letter and Christmas cards (it was the 90's and good old fashioned post was our social media!) then later by email. We kept each other informed about the happenings in our lives in broken English and broken Italian - of pets and school plans, love and heartbreak, future wishes... and we promised each other one day we would meet again.... 

Fast forward 14 years, my husband and I met my dear friend, her fiance and her mother at the tiny Pisa airport... We spent 2 weeks staying in the very same room I'd stayed in as a 12 year old, eating breakfast in the very same kitchen and welcomed with open arms and the same love and excitement that I had been welcomed with 14 years earlier. again, IT.WAS.AMAZING.

Our first lunch there, we sat down to pasta and focaccia - I took one bite and it was the same dish, that I'd been served up the last time I was there. Just as delicious and just that one bite brought back so many memories.  

It was one of those magical opportunities that impact your life so strongly you are forever changed because of it - I simply cannot help but smile when I think about the beautiful Martini family. 

Below is the recipe for the dish*, that reminds me so much of my beautiful friends and their generosity. *slightly changed from the original - although this is called Tonna pasta in Italian, we refer to it as 'Rosanna pasta'. 

Rosanna Pasta (Tonna Pasta)

Ingredients

-3 large cloves garlic

-a good splash of good quality olive oil

-1 large tin of tuna (I use Sirena tuna in oil - Italian style 425g)

-600gms pure cream

-500gms Barilla Farfalle (bow ties)

-a good pinch of sea salt

-cracked black pepper

-chilli flakes

Pasta Sauce

Stovetop Method

Cook farfalle according to packet instructions - ensure it is al dente 

Heat olive oil in a saucepan

Crush garlic directly into olive oil - fry until golden

drain tuna and add to olive oil and garlic - break up with a wooden spoon and stir until it has warmed through

turn down heat and add cream, warm cream until small bubbles start to form on the top of the saucepan - take care not to boil as the cream can split. 

drain cooked pasta, return to pot, add pasta sauce and stir though, season to taste with cracked black pepper, salt and chilli flakes. 

Put lid back on pot and let it sit for 5 mins before serving, this allows the pasta to absorb the excess liquid. 

Thermomix Method

Cook farfalle according to packet instructions - ensure it is al dente 

Chop garlic in TM |3 secs|sp 7| scrap down sides

Add 50g olive oil to bowl and cook Varoma|3mins|speed 1| with MC cap off

Add drained tuna, and mix reverse|3 secs|sp 4|

Add cream, cracked pepper, salt and chilli (if desired)and cook |90 degrees|6 mins|sp 1|reverse

drain cooked pasta, return to pot, add pasta sauce and stir though

Put lid back on pot and let it sit for 5 mins before serving, this allows the pasta to absorb the excess liquid.