I picked the first zucchini yesterday! Casting around for ideas for something new to make, I remembered a dish I ate in 13 years ago in Stromboli, when we went to a seafood trattoria called Ai Gechi one night. We had the two girls in tow (then 15 and 18) so our 50-euros-a-day spending money only stretched to one course each. I tried to ignore the tartare di gambero rosso (marinated raw prawns) and insalata di mare on the menu and went for linguine con zucchine e pesce spada (swordfish) because I thought it would fill me up. I was not disappointed, the pasta was freshly made, the fish was freshly caught, the zucchini was so, so fragrant and the blue Aeolian sea went on for miles in front of us.  It was delicious.

Here is an approximation of that dish… I didn’t use fresh pasta here and had no swordfish handy so settled on a can of tuna, but it turned out to be tasty. If you feel inclined, you could make or buy some fresh linguini or fettucine, use a bit of fresh fish (it would have to be a firm fish like monkfish, kingfish, or swordfish) and this would make a very elegant first course. The recipe below is a cheap, easy and everyday version that only takes as long to make as it takes to boil the water and cook the spaghetti. Try it, it is delicious!

Ingredients (serves 5-6)

• 500gm packet spaghetti
• 1 onion chopped into small dice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large or 6 small zucchinis chopped into small dice (about 6 cups), yellow or green or a mixture, it doesn’t matter
• 2 Tbsp chopped mint
• Juice and finely grated rind of 2 large juicy lemons
• Salt to taste
• 400 gm tin tuna chunks

Method

1. Put a large pot of very salty water on to boil.
2. Gently cook the onion in olive oil until starting to soften then add the zucchini and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is all soft. Add salt to taste.
3. When the water boils add the spaghetti.
4. Grate the lemon zest into the zucchini mixture and squeeze the lemons into it. Let it cook gently for a minute. Add the mint.
5. Drain the can of tuna and add to the zucchini, stirring hardly at all, just enough to distribute the tuna through the mixture but keeping it chunky. Turn off the heat and put the lid on.
6. When the spaghetti is cooked, transfer to a large bowl using tongs, straight from the water into the bowl with the water still dripping (a good Jamie Oliver trick, the starch in the water will help amalgamate the sauce.)
7.  Tip the zucchini and tuna mixture into the spaghetti and mix with two large forks just enough to distribute it evenly through the pasta without breaking up the tuna too much.
8. Serve and enjoy.