Penne With Fennel And Tuna Recipes

ITALIAN PENNE WITH TUNA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return to saucepan.
• Meanwhile, in a 10-inch skillet heat oil over medium-low. Add leeks and garlic; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat. Add spinach; stir until slightly wilted.
• Stir spinach mixture into pasta. Stir in tuna, Italian dressing and dried tomatoes. If desired, sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

TUNA STEAKS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
• Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.

LINGUINE WITH FENNEL AND TUNA

Steps:

• Cook linguine according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Trim fennel bulbs; reserve 1/4 cup chopped fronds. Quarter, core, and thinly slice bulbs crosswise; cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add to pasta along with fronds, lemon juice, capers, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and reserved pasta water.
• Season with salt and pepper. Flake in tuna. Gently toss.

SEARED TUNA, WHITE BEAN AND FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Season tuna generously on both sides with salt, then sprinkle with the black pepper, fennel seed and pollen (if using). Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and rub the seasoning into the fillets with your hands. Set aside at room temperature.
• Peel and dice the onion and soak in ice water for 10 minutes (this will tame its bite). Drain the beans and put in a bowl. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir. Drain onions and add to beans. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and set aside at room temperature.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the lemon zest, garlic, a pinch of salt, crushed red pepper and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place a wide cast iron pan over high heat. When it is hot, add tuna. Cook for about 2 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms, then flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Take care not to let the spices scorch; reduce the heat if necessary. The exterior of the fish will be cooked, but the interior will be quite rare. For medium-rare, cook an additional 2 minutes on the second side. Remove from pan and transfer to a cutting board to cool.
• Using a very sharp knife or mandoline, slice fennel crosswise into very thin slices. Salt lightly and toss with dressing. Arrange dressed fennel around the edge of the platter, surrounding the beans.
• Cut the tuna in ½-inch slices and arrange over beans. Sprinkle with parsley and fennel fronds and serve at room temperature.

PUTTANESCA WITH TUNA POLPETTE AND PENNE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and keep warm.
• Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add anchovies and stir into oil until melted. Add the garlic, turn heat to low and saute for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomatoes crushing them up, then stir in stock. Season with a little black pepper, add capers and olives and simmer a few minutes.
• While sauce simmers, cut tuna into chunks and grind in food processor into coarse mixture. Pulse in the egg, bread crumbs and parsley and season with a little salt and black pepper. Remove tuna mixture from the processor to a bowl and add a drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine. (Adding the oil will prevent mixture from sticking to your hands as you roll the balls.) Roll the tuna into small balls and drop into the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer the tuna balls in the sauce, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Place the pasta into a serving bowl. Add the tuna and sauce, toss to coat and garnish with shredded basil.

PENNE WITH FENNEL AND TUNA

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of unsalted water to a boil. Add fennel, bring water back to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove fennel with a slotted spoon, and reserve cooking liquid in pot.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet until hot but not smoking. Add onion, and saute it for one minute. Then add garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add the drained fennel, the tuna (crumbled into one-inch pieces) with its juices, parsley, pepper and salt. Combine well, and transfer mixture to a bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta.
• Bring fennel cooking liquid back to a boil, and add pasta. Return liquid to a boil, and continue to boil pasta for about 8 minutes, or until of desired tenderness.
• Add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to tuna and fennel mixture. Drain pasta, and add it to the bowl. Toss well and serve.

PENNE WITH TUNA AND WILTED ROMAINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack set on the middle shelf.
• Drain the tuna, reserving the oil, about 1/3 cup. If you do not have 1/3 cup oil from the tuna, add enough extra-virgin olive oil to yield 1/3 cup.
• Use your hands to tear the bread slices into large pieces and put in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until only fine crumbs remain, about 2 cups. Place the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and toss with the reserved tuna oil. Season liberally with salt. Bake until light golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes, gently tossing the crumbs occasionally. Cool slightly on a cooling rack, and then use your hands to break up any large chunks.
• Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil (it should taste like sea water).
• While the water is coming to a boil, make the pasta sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and a large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic softens and starts to lightly brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the grape tomatoes, capers and white wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the tomatoes start to soften and the wine is reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the romaine and drained tuna. Season liberally with salt and cook until the romaine is completely wilted and the tuna is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat.
• Cook the pasta in the salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta.
• Toss the pasta with the tuna sauce in a large mixing bowl. Use as little or as much of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce to your taste. Season with additional salt and crushed red pepper flakes if needed.
• To serve, divide the pasta among 4 to 6 plates, top with the toasted breadcrumbs and drizzle with additional olive oil.

PENNE WITH SPICED TUNA SAUCE

Steps:

• Boil pasta until al dente. Saute onions in olive oil for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add hot pepper, anchovies and whisk in until anchovies dissolve into a paste. Add peppers and celery and saute for 5 minutes or until tender but still somewhat crunchy. Stir in capers and tuna and cook just to warm the tuna through. Season to taste with salt; remove hot pepper; add black pepper if you wish. Drain pasta and return to pasta pot; add sauce and toss; transfer to serving bowl & garnish with parsley.

BAKED PENNE WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until the fat renders, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour off the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the onion and fennel and cook until the fennel is soft, about 5 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands, then pour in the juices from the can and bring to a simmer. Fill the empty can with 1/2 cup of the boiling water and add to the sauce. Stir in the cream and simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce. Stir in the basil and 1/2 cup parmesan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and toss.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer the pasta, mozzarella, fontina and the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan in the dish, alternating pasta and cheese. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

PENNE WITH A PUNCHY TUNA SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the penne for 1 min less than pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water, and leave the pasta in the colander.
• Heat the oil in the same pan you cooked the pasta in over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the capers and stir to coat in the oil. When the capers start to pop, reduce the heat and add the olives, lime zest and juice and tuna. Stir together, then return the pasta to the pan with the reserved cooking water. Stir through the Parmesan and basil and season with black pepper.

SEARED TUNA WITH FENNEL-AND-LEMON SLAW

Steps:

• To make the slaw, whisk together in a large bowl the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Add the fennel, toss and refrigerate for 1 hour. Carefully wrap the fennel fronds in plastic to keep them fresh, then refrigerate.
• When ready to serve, generously season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add the oil and immediately add the tuna. Cook, turning once, until the tuna is seared on the outside but still very pink at the center, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on its thickness.
• Slice the tuna into thin slices. Lay them over 4 serving plates, place a mound of slaw in the center of each plate, garnish with the chopped fennel fronds and serve.

PENNE WITH TUNA, BASIL, AND LEMON

Steps:

• Bring a 4-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water to a boil for penne. Mince garlic. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 tablespoon and squeeze 1 teaspoon juice. Cut basil into thin strips. In a large bowl toss together garlic, zest, juice, basil, and tuna with oil from can.
• Boil penne until al dente and drain in a colander. Add penne to bowl and toss with salt and pepper to taste.