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Massa com Atum à Portuguesa

Serves 4 to 6 Entree pasta, Pasta & Rice

Massa com Atum à Portuguesa

Massa com Atum à Portuguesa is a staple of Portuguese weekday dinners, embodying the effortless simplicity of home cooking. Across Portugal, this dish graces tables when comfort is needed without the pomp of special occasions. It’s prepared with a generous hand, where the measure of olive oil is as much about instinct as it is about tradition. This humble yet hearty pasta dish reflects the unpretentious nature of everyday Portuguese meals.

The taste is a harmonious blend of tender macaroni soaked in the rich flavors of olive oil and tuna, with the sweetness of ripe tomatoes and the mild heat of garlic and onion. Green olives add a briny punch, while fresh parsley offers a bright finish. Each bite is a reminder of the uncomplicated and satisfying nature of Portuguese home cooking, where the essence of each ingredient shines through.

Ingredients

  • 400 gmacaroni
  • 2 canstuna in olive oil — drained and flaked
  • 1onion — finely chopped
  • 3 clovesgarlic — minced
  • 4ripe tomatoes — grated
  • 1green pepper — diced
  • 100 ggreen olives — sliced
  • 4 tbspolive oil
  • 3 tbspflat-leaf parsley — chopped
  • to tastefine sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Begin by preparing the refogado. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Finely chop 1 onion and 3 cloves of garlic, then add them to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Grate 4 ripe tomatoes directly into the skillet, discarding the skins, and continue to cook until the mixture turns a deep red and tastes sweet rather than raw, about 10 minutes.
  2. While the refogado cooks, dice 1 green pepper and slice 100 g of green olives. Once the tomato mixture is ready, add the green pepper and olives to the skillet. Stir them in and let them cook for another 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
  3. Open 2 cans of tuna in olive oil and drain them slightly, reserving some of the oil for flavor. Set the tuna aside for later. Add 1 cup of white wine and 2 cups of broth to the skillet, stirring well. Bring the mixture to a boil and taste for seasoning, adding fine sea salt and black pepper to taste.
  4. Add 400 g of macaroni directly into the boiling broth. Stir occasionally to ensure the pasta cooks evenly and absorbs the flavors from the broth. Cook until the macaroni is al dente, with a slight bite in the center.
  5. Once the pasta is cooked, gently fold in the reserved tuna, breaking it into large flakes. Be careful not to overmix, as you want the tuna to remain in chunks. Allow the tuna to warm through for about 2 minutes.
  6. Chop 3 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley and sprinkle it over the dish. Stir gently to combine, ensuring the parsley is evenly distributed. Serve the Massa com Atum à Portuguesa immediately, ensuring it is loose and brothy, perfect for a comforting meal.
Cover of Authentic Portuguese Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Portuguese Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Portuguese Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Portuguese volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

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