Tuna and Courgette Fettuccine

This is a super quick and tasty supper or lunchtime dish.

Fresh with citrus and chilli yet hearty and satisfying;

Serves 2

200g Fettuccine (dried)

1 small can of Tuna in oil

2 Courgettes (ribboned)

1 Can of plum tomatoes

1 Onion (chopped)

A few chilli flakes

A dash of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of Rapeseed Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese to serve

Start by gently sautéing the onion in the rapeseed oil, on a low heat so that the onion doesn't brown. Then add the can of tomatoes, black pepper and the chilli flakes. Cook gently for 10 minutes or so.

While this cooks, ‘ribbon’ your courgettes.

This is best done with a potato peeler, lay the courgette flat and run the peeler down the length of the courgette to create a ribbon like piece. Repeat as much as possible, the remaining pieces can be finely chopped and added to the tomato sauce.

Speaking of the sauce, if you have a handheld blender then excellent, if however your equipment doesn't stretch that far then a potato masher will work fine. Mash the tomato sauce to achieve as smooth a consistency as possible. Return to the heat but keep it low.

For the pasta, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. With any pasta the most important thing to get right is to use a large enough pan of water. There must be enough room to allow the pasta to move around and for the strands to separate and cook evenly.

    So maybe that ought to read, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

When the water is boiling add the fettuccine, if it’s too long to fit in the pan, allow one end to soften and then gradually and gently push on the other end so that the pasta bends around the side of the pan. Once submerged, stir to separate the strands and allow it to return to the boil. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until ‘al dente’ or in other words cooked but not too soft and slimey. This will only take about 10-15 minutes.

The only sure fire way to get this right is to taste it periodically until it’s how you like it, with practice you will be better able to gauge it visually but until that time better to err on the side of caution.

While the pasta cooks, add the courgette ribbons and the drained tuna to the pan of tomato sauce along with a good dash of lemon juice. Just allow the courgette to wilt a little and the tuna to warm through, don't overdo it.

Drain the pasta and either swirl the sauce through and place in a serving dish or simply pile up straight on the plates.

Serve with a grating of parmesan cheese and a twist of black pepper.