Tagliatelle a la Luzienne

This is a great way to add a twist to a pasta dish by incorporating fish. If you are not a fan of tuna, you can replace it with mackerel, sardines or even prawns.

This dish is from the south west of France, specifically the Basque region, where the famous 'piment d'espelette' chilli powder is from. Its unique, smoky flavour is unrivalled by any other chilli though, if you really cannot find it near you, you can replace it with hot chilli powder or cayenne pepper.

Although jambon de Bayonne (from the same region in France) is best for this recipe, a dried ham similar to Parma ham would do just fine!

And what a great recipe for a weeknight dinner, with only 20-30 minutes needed from start to finish.

You will note that in my photo I am using linguini rather than tagliatelle. What can I say? Both stores near me were coincidentally out of tagliatelle this week! The original recipe is made with tagliatelle but it can be replaced by linguini or even spaghetti.

4 Servings

Ingredients:

4 slices of dried cured ham, roughly chopped

2 red peppers, finely diced

1 kg tomatoes, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp piment d'espelette

320gr drained tuna

3 tbsp full fat cream

500gr tagliatelle

S&P

Finely chopped parsley, to serve

Finely grated parmesan, to serve

Ingredients:

Place a large pot of water to boil with a generous sprinkle of salt. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to the packaging instructions, while you carry on the rest of the recipe.

Add a drizzle of oil to a pan on medium heat & fry the dried ham for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Transfer the ham to a plate lined with a paper kitchen towel to drain the grease.

Using the same pan, simmer the peppers & garlic for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring regularly. Once the peppers have softened nicely, add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, piment d'espelette, S&P.

Raise the heat back to medium & allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the tuna & ham. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the cream & simmer 3 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning, adding S&P if needed.

Remove the bay leaf & thyme sprigs.

Add the cooked, drained pasta & toss well.

Serve immediately with a generous shower of parmesan & a sprinkle of parsley.