Tuna Pasta - Marie Murphy

One of my easiest and most popular dishes amongst young 'uns!

Students the world over have thanked me for it.

For 4/5 people (ish) -

Take two tins of tuna, penne pasta, red pesto, olives,

capers, anchovies, (optional, kids no likey much) chillies,

extra virgin, and some freshly chopped spinach if you wish.

(To feel a wee bit healthy hah!)

Cook pasta al dente, drain, season, back into pot, stir through the

oil and pesto, add all the other ingredients including the drained

tuna, which you flake through last of all.

Aye, it's that simple!

Penne with Chicken, Rocket and Pine nuts - Steve Brown

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts
250g penne
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
125g rocket
1 tbsp. wholegrain mustard
200ml extra-thick double cream
150ml dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan. freshly pared, to serve

Method:

1. Chop the chicken into 2cm cubes and brown in the oil. Remove from the pan.

2. Fry the shallots, garlic and pine nuts for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the white wine and boil rapidly until reduced by half.

4. Stir in the cream, mustard, salt and pepper

5. Cook the pasta and drain well.

6. Toss the pasta, chicken and rocket in the sauce and serve with the freshly pared parmesan.


The dish goes well with a tomato and basil salad.

Penne in a bacon in red wine sauce - Carl Orr

Ingredients:
400 grams of unsmoked streaky bacon or pancetta(cut into matchsticks)
2x medium red onions, diced
2x tins peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
handful of fresh basil
3x glasses full bodied red wine(eg.shiraz cabernet, merlot)
500 grams Penne Rigate

Method:
In a large saucepan fry the bacon in a little olive oil at a high temperature until golden brown. Add the onions and fry for a few more minutes until the onions are clear.
Add the basil, mix it in well and fry for a further minute.
Add one glass of red wine and boil rapidly until almost completely evaporated.
Add the tomatoes and the remaining two glasses of wine, bring to the boil and simmer gently with the lid off for 30 mins.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the penne for 10-12 minutes in plenty of salted boiling water.
Drain the penne and combine with the sauce, mixing them well.
Serve with grated parmesan.

Penne with tuna and black olive sauce - Carl Orr

Ingredients:
2 x 400 gm cans of plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 x 185 gm can of tuna
10 black olives, de-seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced into fine slivers
2 bay leaves
500 gms of penne rigate pasta
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Method:
Fry the garlic in the olive oil over a very low heat for a few minutes, until turning brown. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, olives and tuna and season with black pepper and salt. Mix the ingredients together and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, boil the penne in salted water for ten minutes and drain well. Combine the pasta and sauce in a single pan and serve.