Tagliatele with tuna and crisp spiced crumbs

My weekdays are often quite rushed; I spend most of my time on the train to and back from London and at work. I do make a point of preparing my own food. I love to cook things I like or even just things that I would like to try. Whenever I happen to be far too tired or unwell and need resorting to the local shops for my food it is always a lot of money spent in something not as satisfying. I end up quite upset about it. Back to the recipe, I tend to go for pasta as a main meal dish during the week because a) I love pasta, b) its versatility is a great ally in my weekly quest for eating well as I can use different sauces and mixtures, c) often it is filling enough to be a ‘all-in-one’ meal..

This recipe attracted me because of the breadcrumb element. I would not have thought of using pasta and breadcrumb in one single recipe as it would have seemed to dry and unattractive. However, even though I was not hit on the head, the spicy element of the recipe made me give it a go. And how surprised was I at the result. It was different in that there were some unusual textures that fascinated me. Plus the flavours. Put aside your prejudices if you can and give it a go. It is worth it. The recipe was taken from a Donna Hay magazine, issue 10.\

200g tagliatelle

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 long red chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon olive oil, extra

2 courgettes, peeled into strips

1 x 185g can tuna in oil, drained

2 tablespoons black olives

½ cup rocket

¼ cup lemon juice

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and return to the saucepan to keep warm. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, garlic, chilli and lemon rind and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until crisp and golden. Set aside. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the extra oil and courgette and cook for 2 minutes or until just tender. Toss half the breadcrumb mixture, courgette, tuna, olives, rocket, lemon juice, salt and pepper through the pasta. To serve, sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumb mixture.