Tagliatelle with Fresh Tuna Ragu (Tagliatelle al Ragu di Tonno)

We are becoming quite the consumers of freshly made pasta, and since we had some leftover in the freezer, we decided to use it up in this incredibly simple, but delicious, recipe.

This comes out of Mario Batali's "Molto Italiano" which is a ridiculously comprehensive Italian cookbook. It's like 500+ pages and has TONS of recipes in it. It is among my most important cookbooks, and the 'go-to' book for Italian cooking.

I wouldn't have thought to put rosemary and tuna together, but it (along with the spice from the red pepper flakes) was awesome. Whip up a batch of the Basic Tomato Sauce, and save the rest for some quick pasta another night (it freezes great!). You'll find that, with the exception of the tuna, you'll have most of this on hand already. Delicious and simple... as good Italian food should be.

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE (makes 4 cups)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, 1/4" dice
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
½ medium carrot, finely shredded
4 (14-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
salt

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook until the carrot is quite soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, with their juice, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer until as thick as hot cereal, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 6 months.

TAGLIATELLE DISH
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups BASIC TOMATO SAUCE (see above)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
salt
1 ¼ lbs. basic pasta dough, cut into tagliatelle
¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.

Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Add the tuna and rosemary, return just to a boil, and remove from the heat. Season with salt to taste.

Drop the tagliatelle into the boiling water and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain.

Toss the pasta into the pan with the tuna sauce, set over medium-high heat, and stir gently to coat the noodles. Add the parsley and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.