Tagliatelle with Tuna and Tomato Sauce. 15 minute meal.

There are a few ingredients which I always have at hand in my kitchen - cinnamon, dark chocolate and butter. Actually a few sticks of butter. I feel insecure without them, I think I would take them with me to a deserted island (well, how I would keep the butter without fridge is another story)  even if they are not really essential to survival. But I like the thought that I can add cinnamon to porridge every morning, have some chocolate with my afternoon coffee or bake a brownie with hint of cinnamon even in a middle of the night.
But I also have same emergency ingredients which are like old, reliable friends - I know that I will be able to create tasty food using them when I will be absolutely out of ideas what to make for a dinner, when I will have no time to make something special or when I will be late home - hungry and hating idea of waiting one hour for a dinner and, on the other hand ,hating idea of eating junky food .

So, you will find in my cupboards a few cans of chopped or whole tomatoes, a jar of olives or capers, a can of tuna or sardines, a few kinds of pasta. They make tasty and healthy dinner in 15 minutes. Less then waiting for pizza delivery. Even if you don't have all required ingredients in your kitchen they are nothing fancy and should be available in every decent local shop.Buy them on your way home. I used tagliatelle in this recipe but you can use any type of pasta you like. If you are vegetarian or don't like tuna - just omit it. You can also substitute capers for olives.

Tagliatelle with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

serves: 2

170 - 200 gram tagliatelle or pasta of your choice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely sliced

1/2 - 1 Tbsp. capers

2 pinches of chilli flakes (optional)

1 can chopped tomatoes with their juices

1 can tuna chunks in brine, drained and flaked (about 130 gram after draining)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 generous pinch of sugar

salt

pepper (if needed)

1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add pasta and cook according to packet directions.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 min. stirring occasionally until soft but not coloured. Turn the heat down very low and add garlic and chilli flakes (if using) and cook for about 30 sec. Add the capers and cook for another 1 min. crushing them gently with the back of spoon. Add the tuna flakes and stir for another minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and dried herbs. Turn the heat to a high and bring to the boil, and then lower the heat again to a medium and let simmer for about 5 min. Add balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (if needed) to your taste.

Drain the pasta, than stir into the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.