Name: Spaccatelle: Tuna and Aubergine (Spaccatelle con Tonno e Melanzane)
Yield: Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 red onion (150 g), finely chopped; 75 ml white wine; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; vegetable oil for deep-frying; 240 g fresh tomatoes (cherry or plum), cut into chunks; 2 tablespoons chopped mint; 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 smaller than average aubergine (300 g); 150 g drained top-quality canned tuna in oil (or 200 g fresh tuna, plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil); 160 g spaccatelle; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; ½ teaspoon crushed dried chilli flakes

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a starter

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Geometry of Pasta

By Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy

Published 2010

About

This recipe would traditionally be made with swordfish. Given our huge appetite and lack of regard for this majestic creature, which has been hunted to the brink of extinction, I use tuna from sustainable sources instead. Best to direct our consumption temporarily elsewhere until the swordfish have recovered from our excesses.

Ingredients

160 g spaccatelle
150 g drained top-quality canned tuna in oil (or 200

Method

If using canned tuna, break it up into chunks. If using fresh, dice 2cm, season with salt and sauté briefly in the oil, just to seal the outside.

Dice the aubergine 2cm, season lightly with salt and deep-fry in very hot vegetable oil (corn or sunflower are best) until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

About 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat, fry the onion, garlic and chilli