Here’s a light and very flavourful summer pasta dish that contains the best of summer, the best of Greece. Quite often the best pasta sauces are the ones that are ready before or when the the pasta has been cooked. This recipe has one eye on the cook who doesn’t want to get overheated in the already swarthy summer kitchen and the other eye on you and your guests who would rather be outdoors.

When I’m in Greece, other than retiring to my bed for some deserved shut-eye, I’m spending the rest of the day outdoors: at the beach, the Laiki (farmer’s market) or under the comforting shade at the family’s table out on the porch. In Greece, the main meal of the day is lunch and it is often prepared early in the morning before the heat really lets on.

Sometimes it even gets too hot for one to even cook in the morning. Whether you like it or not, the heat will wake you up, ignoring that you might have had a late night prior and your body is begging for the 7-8 hours sleep you deserve. Here’s where this pasta dish comes in: grab a pot and fill it with water and bring to a boil. Whilst waiting for the water to boil, prepare this quick and light sauce where half the ingredients are added at the end with the sauce and pasta.

This is one of those dishes where with every twirl of the fork with your pasta, another combo of ingredients is picked up. One bite could be tomatoes with briny Kalamata olives, the next bite could be a crunchy floret of broccoli with garlic, how about a piece of tuna with the taste of the Cyclades and capers? Every bite gives you a new pop in the mouth, a wonderful meal and easy to prepare without too much fuss. Having a well-stocked pantry will allow you to whip-up a pasta dish like this.

Linguine With Broccoli, Tuna & Tomatoes

(serves 4)

1/2 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 1/4 cup canned plum tomatoes, hand-crushed

12 florets of broccoli

1/4 of capers, briefly rinsed

12 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

2 tins (198 gr. each) tuna, drained

1 tsp. of Boukovo (chill flakes)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsp. dried)

500 gr. package of dry linguine

salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and add your broccoli florets and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove with a strainer and run under cold water and strain. In the meantime, add your linguine into the same boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes.
2. To make the sauce, add your olive into a large skillet over medium heat and then add the scallions, garlic and tomatoes and bring up to a boil then reduce back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Thinly slice your broccoli florets and add into a bowl with your chopped olives, capers, parsley and oregano and Boukovo. When your linguine is cooked, drain and add the cooked pasta into the skillet with the sauce along with the remaining ingredients (broccoli, herbs, etc.) and the tuna, toss until the pasta is well-coated by all the ingredients.
4. Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and divide and plate. Serve with a Sillogi Moraitis white from the island of Paros.

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