• 6 quarts water
• salt to taste
• 1 small tin (5 oz.) tuna - we use Italian tuna packed in oil, but your choice
• 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, vermicelli, or other long thin pasta
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves (2 tsp), minced or whole - more to taste
• 1 small dried hot red chili, broken into 2 or 3 pieces, or 1/4 t hot red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 3/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

IN a large pasta kettle, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add a couple tablespoons of salt and plunge the pasta in. Give the pasta a stir with a long-handled spoon and cover the pan. As soon as the water boils again, remove the lid and cook - linguine will probably take about 10 minutes, thinner pasta a little less.

WHILE the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan that will hold all the drained pasta over medium-low heat.

ADD the garlic and cook very gently until the garlic softens and just begins to turn golden-about 10 minutes.

ADD the red pepper and parsley together with a ladleful of the pasta cooking water, turn the heat up a little, and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes. When the pasta is almost done, drain it in a colander and turn it immediately into the pan, mixing the pasta and sauce together well. Let it simmer together for about a minute or so-nothing need be too exact here-and then serve it immediately with salt and pepper.

USUALLY not served with Parmesan - to your own taste.

Adapted from: