From our kitchen
Sefora and Papino’s tuna pasta
With pine nuts, sultanas and cherry tomatoes
A recipe from home, shared by Papino and cooked by Sefora: the flavour of tuna meets the sweetness of sultanas and the crunch of pine nuts. We often make it with a spicy note and like the pasta tender but still firm.
From our kitchen · prepared by Sefora on 24 October 2026
Serves 2
Follow the cooking time on the pasta packet, allowing for the final 2–3 minutes in the pan.
Ingredients
We also care about our choice of tuna: we prefer pole-and-line caught tuna labelled “Pole & Line” and bearing the “Dolphin Safe” mark for dolphin protection.
- Fusilli or penne: 180–200 g, depending on your appetite
- Tuna in extra virgin olive oil: 1 tin with a net weight of 160 g (tuna and oil), reserving the oil for cooking
- Pine nuts: 30–40 g
- Sultanas: 30–40 g, to taste
- Datterini or cherry tomatoes: 5–6
- Pasta cooking water: as needed
- Salt for the pasta water; salt and pepper for the sauce, to taste
Method
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add salt and start cooking the pasta. Wash the tomatoes and halve or quarter them, depending on their size.
- Pour the oil from the tin into a wok or a large frying pan. Warm over low to moderate heat, add the pine nuts and sultanas and stir until the pine nuts are lightly golden. The sultanas should soften without burning.
- Add the tuna, gently break it up and let it briefly absorb the flavours: it is already cooked. If the sauce is dry, add a little pasta cooking water. Reserve about a ladleful and add it as needed.
- Drain the pasta while it is still al dente, bearing in mind that it will finish cooking in the pan. Add it to the sauce, along with the tomatoes at this stage. Toss for about 2–3 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed.
- Taste and adjust the salt if necessary; anyone who wishes can add a grinding of pepper. Serve immediately, with the pasta just beyond al dente: tender but firm, never overcooked, just as Sefora and Papino like it.
Origins and references
Family recipe dictated by Francesco Caputo (Papino), with additions confirmed on 24 October 2026. The dish in the photographs was cooked by Sefora that evening; the photos show the basic preparation, without the basil and pistachios of the summer version.