Going digital - randomly - Tonno di Nonna Fangitta

Analogue or digital? When you have to write a letter do you use a typewriter or even a pen or your computer? Is your television reception analogue or have you gone digital? What about your phone? Analogue or digital? Or is it now even smarter than you? Hm ... could have mentioned the same about the television these days. That is all irrelevant now! Although it would be quite nice these days to spent more time in nature instead of the virtual world ...
However, today it's time for random recipes #27 - Get Random Baby!

For random recipes I used to take out my analogue randomizer (dice) and go on with choosing a recipe to cook. This time, though, Dom decided to let us go digital with his
random recipes number generator thingamidoodah he put up on his post. No worries! Here we go ... 27 ... what a coincidence. Counting backwards from my cookbook collection brings us to Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver.
Well, I would never think of cheating at random recipes. That would take away all the fun. So, what's cooking then? Just take a moment and think about it ... Last time we had an Indian fish curry. Last year in June we had grilled mackerel with pomelo salad. Oh, I checked it, the result was not so much what I expected. There was also some lasagna and some chicken. Nevertheless, random recipes makes me think of fish ... and that's what is going to be again: tonno di nonna fangitta. That is a tuna dish from a lady called Nonna Fangitta, who lives on the island of Favignana off the coast of Sicily. I would like to imagine myself sitting down somewhere around that area now.
It was as it should be I opened the book randomly and came to this very recipe. First thought: How am I going to make that? Where shall I get fresh tuna? That isn't going to be a cheap meal. I might not do it. Since I don't cheat, the other option was not to participate in random recipes this month. I left a marker in the book and went about with the usual business.
Now, here I am, having a whole day off. A good chance to get a hair-cut. No, I don't have so much hair, it takes a whole day, but strangely I rather go in the morning instead of after work.
Nearby ... in the vicinity of the hair-dresser ... there is the farmers market. Checking the fish stall wouldn't harm. If you have a half-decent farmers market around, that's the place to go. The fish monger had tuna on offer. I went for it ... after the hair-cut.
Back to the kitchen ...
Peeling 1 kg of tomatoes isn't that funny, but not so bad either, if you know how to.
The tuna is prepped with some garlic, chilli and rosemary.

Don't get me wrong now, I like Jamie Oliver, but the photo of that dish in Jamie's Italy is somehow a cheat photo. It doesn't show the cooked dish, but rather the raw materials arranged in a pot. That might look cool, but isn't food reality. On the other hand, that might be intentionally, because it helps you to prepare the tuna correctly.
Anyway, in the end, mine will by far not look so nice as in the book. Still it represents the cooked dish more correctly.
With some more garlic, chilli and rosemary and some other things like a cinnamon stick, dried oregano, capers and anchovy fillets, we start out with cooking a tomato sauce. Of course we add the peeled tomatoes as well and above that as a bonus some tinned tomatoes. Seasoning with salt and pepper is obligatory, too.
The tuna is poached in the tomato sauce in under 30 minutes. That will definitely look like that.

Jamie was right, it tastes lovely with some bread. Dig in!

You can't go wrong with tomato sauce ... Thank you Nonna Fangitta, thank you Jamie, thank you Dom.
The recipe said 'serves 4'. Lately, I'm really lacking help in that department. That means leftovers. According to Jamie, it can be used well for pasta. That reminds me, I still have another post in the pipeline in pictures waiting to be written and published. It is about lamb and the never failing tomato sauce business. Watch out for that!
Meanwhile, enjoy that tuna dish. Have you cooked with fresh tuna before? For me it was the first time and ... I luved it! Going digital with random recipe was really fun again! In other areas, I'll rather be careful with going digital. Those things that are still analogue, shall remain that way. I really don't want my phone or television to be smarter than me! Really!

I just got another idea after publishing this already. This dish goes also well for the April Herbs on Saturday April from Lavender & Lovage.