Recipe: Penne in Salsa Salinese and Article: Canned Tuna: That's Italian!

CANNED TUNA: THAT'S ITALIAN!

Italians often eat better than Americans, even when they throw together a meal. A recent lunch during a trip to Italy proved this to me. After arriving unexpectedly early on the Sicilian island of Salina, my host invited me to eat lunch with his family. He explained that since they were in the middle of the grape harvest, his mother only had time to make a very simple meal.

Once everyone was seated at the table, we were presented with a huge bowl of pasta topped with halved cherry tomatoes, diced eggplant and canned tuna. Enlivened with the fresh, sharp flavors of capers, olives and basil, this dish became one of my favorites during my three- week visit to Sicily.

Canned tuna added to pasta is as common in Italy as tuna salad is in America. The next time you need a quick-fix pasta dinner, instead of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce, try making a tuna pasta. It takes about the same amount of time to prepare, but it's worlds away in terms of flavor!

Italian canned tuna is usually the yellowfin variety packed in flavorful olive oil. Italians do eat some water-packed fish, but it's not even close to the amount consumed in the United States, where chunk light skipjack tuna in water accounts for more than 75 percent of canned tuna sales. The hard, white albacore tuna that makes up about 25 percent of the canned tuna Americans eat is shunned almost completely by Italians.

Tuna packed in olive oil is increasingly available in American supermarkets. It is packed without the vegetable broth or hydrolyzed vegetable protein found in so much of the canned tuna sold in the U.S. Since this delicious, darker, oil-packed fish is higher in fat, make a single can of it go a long way. Based on my favorite Sicilian pasta dish, this recipe shows how to make canned tuna part of a creative, delicious and healthful dish.

PENNE IN SALSA SALINESE

1 small eggplant, 1 to 1 1/4 lbs.
8 oz. penne pasta
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 to 3 anchovy filets, rinsed
2 Tbsp. chopped green olives
2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
5 oz. canned solid tuna in olive oil, well drained
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant vertically into 3/4-inch slices. Trim away the peel and cut the flesh into 3/4-inch cubes. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on a non- stick baking sheet. Spray the eggplant liberally with cooking spray, using your hands to coat it well.

Bake 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft but holds its shape, stirring once to turn the cubes.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and add the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, in a large, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, onion and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes soften and are moist, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

Add the anchovies, using the spoon to break them up and mix them into the sauce. Add the olives, capers, tuna, basil and parsley and cook just until everything is evenly heated. Season to taste with the pepper.

Dump the pasta into a colander, but do not drain it well. With some cooking water still clinging to it, immediately add the pasta to the sauce. Stir to combine the pasta and sauce. Serve immediately, passing the bread crumbs separately in a bowl, if you wish, to sprinkle over the pasta like cheese.

Each of the four servings contains 387 calories and 9 grams of fat
Source: Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research