Spaghetti con Tonno e Pomodoro

Ingredients:

5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 handfuls of black kalamata olives, seeded and chopped in quarters
5-6 fillets of salted anchovies from a can, chopped finely
2 tablespoons of capers
1 handful of roughly chopped fresh arugula (1/4" square)
1 large can tuna fish stored in water or oil (12 oz)
1 large can of San Marzano tomatos (28 oz)
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (preferably Sagra brand)
1 package of Barilla "thick spaghetti" or other pasta
1-2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons of regular Morton’s salt
1-2 tablespoons of red chili flakes

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, fry the garlic until golden but not brown (4-5 minutes). Add the chopped anchovies midway through and stir together.
2. Push the anchovy garlic mixture to the side of the pan where the temperature is lower. Put the quartered olives on the other side. Put the tuna at the center of the pan. Raise the temperature to medium-high. Cook until slightly brown (4 minutes). Add 1-2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt and 1 tablespoon of red chili flakes and mix together.
3. In parallel cook the thick spaghetti with generously salted pasta water (2 tablespoons of Morton’s salt). Cook until al dente.\
4. Add the chopped can of San Marzano tomatoes with juice to the sauce and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and add the chopped arugula and capers.
5. Transfer the cooked pasta directly into the sauce. It is okay if pasta water drips into the sauce. Place back on medium-low heat. Mix all the ingredients together including the arugula and capers until heated through.
6. Plate the pasta on large rimmed bowls or plates. Finish the pasta with 1 tablespoon of high quality fresh olive oil.

Story and Insights behind this recipe
After living with former professional cook professionally for many years, and after watching many cooking shows starring such Italian chefs as Lidia Bastianich and Michael Chiarello, I have incorporated some learnings that differentiate decent pasta from mediocre pasta. Here are some of these insights as well as some of my subjective opinions.

1. It is important to cook garlic over low to medium heat. It is worth the extra 4 minutes to do so.
2. Anchovies add flavor to tomato pastas. You can’t even taste the anchovies in the finished product, but the anchovies make the dish richer and more striking.
3. Adding arugula was an accident. I was trying to clean the refrigerator of excess ingredients. But the arugula marries so well with the tuna, that I would recommend this combination over adding parsley or basil (as recommended in other recipes).
4. Generously salt the pasta water and the pasta will taste as though it absorbed the pasta sauce better.
5. Add pasta water to the pasta sauce. It is better that the sauce taste soupy than too dry.