Fettuccine col Sugo di Tonno con
Aglio e Panna
(Fettuccine with Tuna, Garlic, and Cream Sauce)


Marcella's Italian Kitchen
by Marcella Hazan, 1986, a Borzoi Book, Alfred A. Knopf

“Canned tuna is a familiar ingredient in pasta sauces. Although I was once
very fond of it, there was a harshness in the taste of tuna sauces, both other
cooks’ and my own, that began to trouble me. It took a long while, as my dissatisfaction grew, for me to identify its cause. At last I knew: Cooking
altered tuna’s taste. I looked for ways to make a sauce that did not require
cooking the tuna. The one that pleases me most is derived from the butter
tuna spread… To it I added garlic, egg, parsley, cream, and Parmesan,
mixing everything by hand rather than in the processor to obtain a
grainier, more interesting texture.”

For 4 to 6 persons

A 7-ounce can of Italian-style tuna
packed in olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
2 tablespoons parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten*
3 tablespoons butter, softened
to room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream
Salt
Black pepper in a grinder
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fettuccine [this recipe calls for homemade pasta,
but you can successfully substitute 1 pound
good-quality purchased dried fettuccine]

1. Drain the tuna of all its oil and put it in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the garlic, parsley, egg, butter, cream, salt, liberal grindings
of pepper, and the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Mix well until all the
ingredients are thoroughly amalgamated, using a fork to break
up and mash the tuna. Taste and correct for salt and pepper..
3. Drop the pasta into a pot of abundant boiling salted water and
cook until it is done but firm to the bite, drain, and toss imme-
diately with the tuna mixture. Serve at once with additional
grated cheese available on the side.

* Egg Safety Information

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