WHB: Linguine with Arugula, Tuna & Hot Pepper

I saw this recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle last week and was immediately smitten. It contains three of my favorite ingredients, tuna, arugula, and pasta. And the recipe is so quick, I knew a big bowl of pasta would be in front of me within 15 minutes.  And so it was.  I wish the picture was prettier. I've seen gorgeous pictures of pasta on other blogs, where the strands are twirled beautifully. In contrast, the above photo shows the results when a very hungry cook flings the pasta into a bowl, and impatiently fires off a few shots with her camera.  Then she sits down and eats it, muttering profound things like, "Oh yeah, now THAT'S what I was talking about!" as she gobbles it down.   

If you like arugula, this is the recipe for you.  Containing almost a pound in the dish, it's an ideal candidate for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, but has traveled over to Anna's, Morsels and Musings for this weekend.  You should head over to her site and check out all the other herby bloggers. Arugula is often viewed as a salad green, but it's actually an herb, a member of the mustard family, which explains it's bold, nippy flavor.  If you want a more muted flavor, choose young arugula, which has  small leaves.  Older, bigger leaves have a more pronounced flavor.

Arugula is known by other names.  In England it's called rocket, roquette in France, and rochetta in Italy.  Whatever it's called, it's a wonderful herb that lifts the flavor of any dish.  And it's perfect tossed with hot pasta. The heat from the pasta makes the tender arugula wilt quickly, adding almost instant flavor.

This recipe uses canned tuna, but it's important to use an imported variety packed in olive oil.  This isn't based on snobbery.  American brand tuna, particularly the kind canned in water, is dry and lacks the flavor and texture of tuna canned in Italy, or Sardenia.  I used a moderately priced brand, Tonno, that's available in most grocery stores.  The tuna cooked briefly with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper, creating a very fast sauce for the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked, it's mixed with the tuna sauce and arugula .

Within a couple of minutes, it wilts and coats the pasta, along with the tuna sauce.  This was a great hit in our house. Even Bob, who doesn't like canned tuna, enjoyed this dish very much. I think it's delicious.

Linguine with Arugula, Tuna & Hot Pepper

(San Francisco Chronicle)

Serves 4 to 6

The amount of arugula you need for this recipe depends on how dry or damp it is at the store. If it is perfectly dry, 1/2 pound will suffice. If it has been recently misted, it will be heavier from the water, so you will need about 3/4 pound. For a more healthful dish, substitute whole-wheat linguine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dried linguine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, or more to taste, finely minced  (I used 4 cloves.)
Generous pinch hot red pepper flakes
7 ounce (200-milligram) can imported tuna in olive oil, drained
Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 pound baby arugula ( I used 3/4 pound because I like the taste of arugula.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and boil until al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes over moderately low heat until garlic is fragrant and sizzling. Add tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork. Season with salt and add a few tablespoons of boiling water from the pasta pot to make the mixture moist and sauce-like. Keep warm over low heat.

Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water. Drain pasta and return it to the warm pot set over moderate heat. Add arugula and contents of the skillet and toss vigorously with tongs, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta. Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.

Per serving: 540 calories, 21 g protein, 61 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat (3 g saturated), 6 mg cholesterol, 149 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.

Comments

[Teresa]

Arugula, an herb? Who knew? (Not me.)

I love easy pasta dishes. I don't like arugula, so I would substitute baby spinach.

[ilva]

This sounds AND looks great Sher! And i love the speed of it all!

[gattina]

Sher, I totally agree with you about the tuna!!!

[Tanna]

Fabulous and fast!!! Photo is plenty good communication especially with your words.

[Lydia]

Looks like a great, quick pasta supper, and who doesn't love recipes like that??? Tuna and arugula is a nice combination.

[Kalyn]

This sounds just wonderful. It's very similar to one of my favorite dishes, a spagetti with arugula and Italian Sausage where you just cook the sausage, add some garlic and olive oil, pour it over the arugula and mix in the cooked spagetti. Yum. What could be better. I'll look for that tuna with olive oil. I haven't tried it but I remember someone (S'kat I think) raving about how much better it was. Have to admit, I love canned tuna. But not as much as arugula.

[Kalyn]

BTW, this just gave me an idea to feature pasta for SB Recipes of the week. With Dreamfields, this is perfectly South Beach friendly.

[Anne]

Looks tasty, until I read your recipe properly I wondered what argula was now I know sounds like it would give a nice peppery tasty to it. I wonder if I could use soba noodles instead as I can only eat gluten free you have given me 'food for thought' pardon the pun. I love your blog and especially like your roasted pork tenderloin one which I am going to try. Have also ordered the book!
Anne
please see comment on the roasted pork recipe as to how I found your blog.

[Butta Buns]

Healthy and quick, exactly what I need these days! And there's nothing wrong with the pic, yours always turn out just fine.

[aria]

hahah i knoe exactly what your talking about. i've been trying to enforce the eat first photograph later rule but then you always run the risk of nothing being left to take pictures of... which is exactly what would happen to me if i had this delicious pasts in front of me!

[Julie]

Nice! Sounds like a delicious combination. I love fast, tasty pasta recipes. It's good to have a nice variety in your repertoire so you can always pull a fast meal out of your sleave.

[Christine]

Oh Yum! What a great combination. I could eat arugula every day and not get tired of it!

[Anh]

Sher, this recipe is saved into my must-do list! Yummy!

[angie]

What else can I say???? Except YUM! Your step-by-step pics make this dish all the more drool-inducing :)

[Helene]

What a nice and easy quick dish!! I love arugula on pizza, but never tried it this way. Thanks for the inspiration.
And as to photograpy, you´re right. My daughter always is kidding me when I take fotos at the table. :))

[Lora]

Arugula and linguine is also good with potatoes and bacon, another recipe that appeared in the SF Chronicle, but about 13 years ago, and a staple at my house ever since!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dried linguine
12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes,
salt to taste
1/2 pound young arugula

INSTRUCTIONS: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and potatoes and cook until pasta is al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil and pancetta in a skillet over moderate heat until the pancetta softens, about 2 minutes; do not allow it to crisp. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook 1 minute to release garlic fragrance. Add a large pinch of salt. Keep warm. Put the arugula in a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and potatoes, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and potatoes to the arugula. Add the mixture in the skillet. Toss well, adding as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the sauce.

Serves 6.

[Chris]

I love seeing the same dishes as prepared by different people!
Here's when we made this:
http://weheartfood.blogspot.com/2007/05/linguine-with-tuna-arugula-and-hot.html