Tuna fettuccine

Cooking with Maria, the only fisherwoman on the island of Procida, just a stone’s throw from Naples, inspired this dish. I love the way she uses pecorino as a seasoning, which is contrary to the ‘no cheese and fish’ rule, while the crushed almonds give texture, creaminess and depth of flavour. To make this recipe sing like Pavarotti, you really need baby or crunchy courgettes, so it’s best made in the summer.

Serve 4

Cook in 20 minutes

Ingredients

50 g whole almonds

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

4 anchovy fillets in oil , from sustainable sources

olive oil

300 g dried fettuccine , or linguine

4 baby courgettes , with flowers

300 g yellowfin tuna , from sustainable sources

1 x 400 g tin of quality cherry tomatoes

1 lemon

30 g pecorino cheese

extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Lightly toast the almonds in a large frying pan on a medium heat, then tip into a pestle and mortar, leaving the pan on the heat.
• Peel the onion and garlic, finely chop with the anchovies and add to the pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Fry for 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
• Slice the courgettes ½cm thick, reserving the flowers, chop the tuna into rough 1cm dice, then stir both into the frying pan. Scrunch in the tomatoes through your clean hands, squeeze over the lemon juice and leave to tick away, stirring regularly.
• Finely grate the pecorino. Pound the almonds until fine.
• Once cooked, use tongs to drag the pasta straight into the frying pan, letting some starchy cooking water go with it. Toss together, then turn the heat off, tear in the courgette flowers and toss in the pecorino and most of the almonds.
• Check the seasoning, loosen with an extra splash of cooking water, if needed, and serve, sprinkled with the remaining almonds, finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.