Eunice Power: My spicy tuna and lemon pasta is ready in the time it takes to boil the spaghetti

Eunice shares her spicy tuna and lemon pasta recipe this week. Picture: Chani Anderson

I love roast vegetables. Carrots, parsnips and cauliflower are my favourites, and this is the time of year for them. They are Irish, great value, and at their best.

All can be put to work in plenty of ways, a side for the Sunday roast, a tray of something sticky and sweet beside a chicken, or the centre of a salad that makes a proper lunch. This week I’m starting with carrots. The ones coming out of Ardmore are sweet and firm .

For a side dish, I toss them in olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper and roast them in a very hot oven about 200°C until caramelised and the edges slightly burnt.

For a salad, I treat them differently. Set the oven to 160°C, turn and baste the carrots as they cook, and they finish smooth and caramelised rather than a little shrivelled. The gentler heat brings out their sweetness.

Dates echo it, capers add a sharp tang for contrast, toasted pecans give crunch, and a tahini and citrus yogurt brings the dish together. A word on yogurt. When you’re buying it, check the label and choose Irish. Our dairy is among the world’s best, and yogurt is no exception. You will be surprised to hear that over 50% of the yogurt we consume in Ireland is imported!

The second recipe is for the night the fridge is bare. Most of us have a jar of tuna at the back of the press. I buy Irish here too, I always keep a couple of jars of Shine’s tuna in the cupboard.

Anchovies melted into the base give the sauce a savoury depth without tasting fishy, so if you think you don’t like anchovies, try this first, you may very well change your mind.

Cherry tomatoes and lemon lighten the whole dish, and it comes together in the time it takes to boil the spaghetti.

Neither recipe needs anything unusual. Both use everyday ingredients, handled with care and a little restraint for great results.

Roast Carrots with Tahini Yogurt, Date and Caper Dressing and Toasted Pecans

recipe by:Eunice Power

Carrots, parsnips and cauliflower are my favourites, and this is the time of year for them. They are Irish, great value, and at their best. All can be put to work in plenty of ways, a side for the Sunday roast, a tray of something sticky and sweet beside

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Roast carrots 1 bunch carrots (approx 500g)

• Maple syrup

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Date, caper and orange dressing

• 30g pitted dates (about 6), thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

• 20g sherry vinegar

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• Zest and juice of ½ orange

• Squeeze of honey

• 75ml olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Tahini yogurt

• 50g tahini

• 150 ml yogurt

• Juice of ½ orange

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Salt and pepper

• To finish 25g pecans

• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2. Peel the carrots and cut them in half horizontally. Toss with a little maple syrup, olive oil and salt, then arrange on a roasting tray. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes so they cook evenly and stay firm and smooth rather than becoming wrinkled.

3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

4. Thinly slice the dates and roughly chop the capers. Whisk together the sherry vinegar, cumin, orange zest and juice and a squeeze of honey.

5. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season to taste. Stir through the dates and capers and leave the dressing to sit.

6. Put the tahini in a bowl and loosen with a small splash of water. Slowly whisk in the yogurt, followed by the orange and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Toast the pecans on a tray in the oven at 160°C for 8–9 minutes. Allow to cool, then roughly break them up.

8. Spread the tahini yogurt over the base of a serving plate and arrange the carrots on top. Spoon over the date, caper and orange dressing, scatter with the toasted pecans and finish with the finely sliced parsley.

Spiced Tuna, Lemon and White Wine Pasta

recipe by:Eunice Power

A rich, salty, spicy store cupboard pasta that comes together in the time it takes to boil the spaghetti.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g spaghetti

• 2 tin of good-quality tuna in olive oil (I used 2 jars of Shines Tuna in oil)

• 1 small tin of anchovies

• 2 heaped tsp capers, roughly chopped

• 6 cloves of garlic 1 onion, finely diced

• 2 red chillies, finely chopped

• 300g cherry or baby plum tomatoes

• 1 cup of white wine, maybe a little more

• 1-2 lemons, zest and juice

• Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

• Olive oil

• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat a very generous glug of Olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the whole tin of anchovies and their oil, and use a spoon to gently help them dissolve.

2. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and keep stirring for a few more minutes.

3. Stir in the capers and chillies, then add the tuna. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break it down into the oil until it becomes almost a paste.

4. Pour in the white wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.

5. Season with the lemon juice and zest, add the tomatoes, and continue to stir over a gentle simmer. Taste and adjust. It should be spicy, rich, lemony and salty

6. While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in heavily salted boiling water for one minute less than the packet instructions, as it will continue to cook in the sauce.

7. Ladle half a cup of starchy pasta water into the sauce, then use tongs to lift the pasta straight into the pan. Toss really well over a medium heat until the pasta is well coated, adding more pasta water to loosen if needed.

8. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley and lots of black pepper. Finish with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and a slick of extra virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.