Olive and tuna spaghetti all'Ascolana recipe from Marche
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
5 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
711 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Italian
Olive and tuna spaghetti all'Ascolana recipe from Marche
Description
This recipe combines spaghetti with a sauce from the Marche region's flavors, centering on green olives and chunks of tuna in olive oil. Anchovy fillets and garlic are fried in extra virgin olive oil with red chili to develop a fragrant base. Adding tomato passata and seasoning completes the sauce, which gently simmers to meld the components. Fresh parsley introduced at the end brightens the dish.
The sauce brings a balance of salty and savory notes from the anchovies and olives, with the tuna offering meaty texture. The spaghetti is cooked al dente, retaining firmness to complement the tender sauce. The peppery chili provides mild heat, enhancing the overall flavor without overwhelming the palate.
Serve the spaghetti immediately with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. This dish pairs well with a simple salad or crusty bread. The anchovies can be cooked early with garlic to achieve a deeper umami flavor, which some cooks prefer to meld fully into the sauce.
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti 14oz) you can also use penne or ziti, or bucatini
- 350 g tomato passata (12oz) purée or crushed
- 200 g tuna 7oz, quality, in olive oil
- 200 g green olives 7oz) best are Ascolana olives, green Castelvetrano or Cerignola from Italy or Gordal from Spain, large, pitted
- 4-6 anchovy fillets removed from the oil and chopped, in oil
- 2 garlic peeled, cloves
- 1 handful parsley chopped, fresh
- ½ red chili pepper chopped, or ½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste, freshly ground
- 4-5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Drain and chop the tuna, peel the garlic and chop the fresh peperoncino if using. (remove the seeds to make it less spicy). Cut the olives into halves or rounds. If they still have stones, you’ll have to pit them. Chop the parsley.
Make the sauce
- Heat the oil with the garlic cloves and peperoncino in a heavy pan. Add the pitted and chopped olives. Let everything fry for a few minutes, then add the tomato passata (puree) and a little salt and pepper, mix, cover and cook for about ten minutes. Add the drained and chopped tuna, the chopped anchovies and the chopped parsley. Stir,continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes and turn off the heat. Remove the garlic cloves.
Cook the pasta and finish the dish
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When ready, save some pasta cooking water and drain. Add the pasta to the Ascolana sauce and mix everything together. If the sauce seems dry, add a little of the pasta cooking water. Serve with more chopped parsley and red chilli if required.
Notes
- You can cook the anchovies with garlic and chili at the beginning to allow them to melt and infuse deep umami flavor.
- Pitted and halved olives work best to avoid biting into whole olives with stones.
- Adjust chili levels by removing seeds or using peperoncino flakes to control spiciness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 711 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 711kcal | 36% |
| Carbohydrates | 85g | 28% |
| Protein | 31g | 62% |
| Fat | 28g | 43% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4g | 24% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 18g | 90% |
| Cholesterol | 12mg | 4% |
| Sodium | 1166mg | 49% |
| Potassium | 765mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 7g | 28% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 767IU | 15% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 83mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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