Tucci Scores Again

By Michele

I’m a huge fan of Stanley Tucci - the actor and celebrity foodie.

National Geographic recently featured Tucci’s love affair with Italian food and culture in a new series, Tucci in Italy.  It’s a follow-up to his Emmy-winning series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, that aired in 2021-2022. I’ve seen both series and own two of his books: Taste: My Life Through Food, and The Tucci Cookbook. Then there’s his dozens of movies. Some of my favorites include: Julie and Julia, The Devil Wears Prada, and Conclave. You could say, I’m a fan!

In a recent Instagram video post, Tucci shared a recipe for Tuna Tomato Sauce.  The video intrigued me. After all, I love a good Italian tuna salad with sliced tomato. Days later, I made the recipe as he described it and was not surprised at how delicious it was.

Tuna Tomato Sauce 

(serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 28-oz. can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1 7-oz. can of good-quality tuna packed in oil, drained

1 bunch of fresh basil

1  pound spaghetti (cook while prepping the sauce)

Preparation

1. Heat evoo in medium stock pot, then add onions. Cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. Add crushed tomatoes and cook for about 20 minutes.

3. Gently stir the tuna into the sauce, making sure not to break the tuna apart too much. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add basil to sauce and serve over spaghetti.

In The Tucci Cookbook there is a recipe for Pastina with Eggs. If you want to be transported to your childhood, this dish is for you. I loved pastina with milk and butter as a child, and truthfully, I enjoy it today when I’m in need of comfort food. This recipe by Tucci puts a spin on my version by incorporating an egg into the cooked pastina. The result was more delicious than my go to with milk and butter. The added protein counterbalances the carbohydrates. Butter is still swirled into the pastina, of course!

I served the pastina to myself in the childhood bowl of my stepson, a Royal Daulton “Bunnykin’s” bowl. A real throwback for sure. The pastina was a bowl of creamy, eggy and buttery deliciousness!

Pastina with Eggs

(serves 2)

Ingredients

½ cup pastina pasta

Kosher salt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon butter 

Preparation

1. Fill a small saucepan with salted water and bring to boil over medium high heat. Add the pastina and cook according to the package instructions.

2. Remove 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the pastina. Return the cup of hot water and the drained pastina to the saucepan over medium high heat. Break the eggs directly into the saucepan. Whisk and simmer to cook eggs, about 1 minute. Divide between two plates and top with equal portions of butter. Serve immediately.

Lastly, I tried Tucci’s String Beans with Tomatoes. This was a one-pot easy recipe that is now one my favorites. Tucci notes that his grandmother cooked all the ingredients in one pot and served it for a light lunch or dinner. I was a little skeptical that cooking all the ingredients with only one cup of water would work. But to my surprise, it did!  Accompanied with a chunk of Italian bread to soak up the sauce, this recipe will become one your favorites as well.

String Beans with Tomatoes 

(serves 4 as a side dish or 2 for a meal)

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 pound string beans, ends trimmed

1 small zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise and chopped into ½ inch wide chunks

1 medium-size all-purpose potato, peeled and quartered

½ cup chopped and seeded ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, cut in half

Preparation

1. Place the water in a medium-size pot set over medium high heat. Add the string beans, zucchini, potato, and tomatoes. Stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

2. Remove the vegetables to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Spoon some of the sauce on top and serve.