Redundancy

Mom and I have enjoyed our empty nest for all of eight days since the pandemic hit in March, which was the total amount of time that JMU was able to hold onto Brad once school started in the fall. After Brad and Cass left the house for a few weeks, the first meal I made was a new tuna pasta (the fourth), with a new microwave chocolate mug cake (the fourth) for dessert. You are now undoubtedly thinking, what's with the old man, does he really need four recipes for tuna pasta and four recipes for microwave chocolate mug cake (not to mention the 4.5 recipes for banana bread)?

 

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In the case of tuna pasta, the answer is "yes." Having devolved to being, by and large, a pescatarian (and barely even that during Brad's semester-in-residence), some variety in the tuna pasta recipes is good, and all of the ones I've posted, including today's, are different. Tuna and Tomato Spaghetti is useful because it's simple and is made with only pantry items. Sicilian Corkscrews with White Beans and Tuna is mostly pantry items but ups the protein quotient with a can of beans thrown into the mix. Zuni Pasta with Tuna and Pine Nuts is irreplaceable and the best of the lot. Today's recipe requires some ingredients (grape or cherry tomatoes and baby spinach) you may not usually have on hand, but it gives the Zuni tuna pasta a run for its money.

 

The microwave chocolate mug cakes are another story. The Microwave Brownie Cake was something easy enough to be made in a dorm room, but now that you've graduated from that, it's just not worth it. The Cook's Illustrated Microwave Molten Chocolate Cakes are good but have been totally surpassed by Christina Tosi's, which I billed at the time as "the one microwave mug cake to rule them all." That remains the case, but today's recipe from Alton Brown is naturally gluten-free, a little quicker and easier with fewer ingredients, and a solid second-place choice when you're desperate for something chocolate-y.

 

Tuna Spaghetti al Tricolore

Adapted from Cynthia Ware via Food52 and The Solitary Cook

Time: 28 minutes

 

This is adapted from a pretty well known recipe on Food52 that goes by the name "First Night in Florence Spaghetti." The recipe is accompanied by a lovely story about the author visiting her daughter in Florence. On her first night there, Ware's daughter took her to a favorite "student-priced" restaurant, where she ordered this dish. According to Ware, she set down her fork after one bite and very slowly said, “This. Is. The best thing. I have ever tasted. In my entire. Life.” I certainly won't go that far, but it is a simple and very tasty dish. I changed the name since it doesn't have anything to do with our first night in Florence, but it does remind me of the Italian flag with the green spinach, white tuna, and red tomatoes.

1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
227 grams (½ package/8 ounces) spaghetti or bucatini
53 grams (¼ cup) good extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint (~340 grams/12 ounces) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced, pressed, grated, or sliced
1 (5-ounce) can tuna packed in olive oil, not drained

85 grams (3 ounces) baby spinach

freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon (~2 tablespoons/30 grams)
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, for serving (optional)
crusty bread, for serving (optional)

    1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a roiling boil in a large, covered stockpot over high heat. Stir in the fine sea salt until dissolved. Add the pasta and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until 2 minutes short of the recommended cooking time on the package. Drain, reserving a large mugful of the pasta cooking water.
    2. Meanwhile, set a large stainless steel skillet, sauté pan, or saucier over medium heat. Add the oil. When it shimmers, add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and collapse, about 5 minutes.
    3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
    4. Add the tuna with its oil. Using a fork or wooden spoon, gently break up any large chunks of tuna into bite-sized pieces. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
    5. When the pasta is drained, add it to the pan along with a 2-ounce ladleful (¼ cup) of the pasta cooking water. Stir in the spinach, lemon juice, a few grinds of pepper, and salt to taste. Cook and toss until the spinach is just wilted and the pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed. Serve with grated cheese and/or crusty bread, if you like. Serves 2 to 3.

The Last Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

Adapted from Alton Brown via his website and the Cooking Channel

Time from start to finish: 18 minutes (including 3 minutes of rest before and after “baking”)

 
50 grams (¼ cup) granulated white sugar
20 grams (scant ¼ cup) cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg (~57 grams still in the shell)
15 grams (~1 tablespoon) neutral-flavored oil such as sunflower
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
75 grams (scant ½ cup) semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
30 grams (2 tablespoons) whole milk or nondairy milk

    1. In a small bowl (do yourself a favor and make it one that goes in the dishwasher like a cereal bowl), whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
    2. In another small bowl (ditto), whisk the egg to break it up a bit, then whisk together with the oil and vanilla.
    3. Divide the chocolate chips and milk evenly between two 10-ounce (regular size) microwave-safe coffee mugs. Nuke on full power for 30 seconds.
    4. Meanwhile, whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
    5. Take the mugs out of the microwave and whisk the chocolate-milk mixture until smooth.
    6. Divide the batter from step 4 evenly between the mugs (~65 grams of batter in each mug). Using a fork, stir to combine.
    7. Place the mugs in the center of the microwave, and let them rest for 3 minutes (AB says not to skip this step—“it’s giving the baking powder a head start!”).
    8. Nuke on full power for 1:45.
    9. Remove the mugs from the microwave and let the cakes rest for 3 minutes before serving, with ice cream or whipped cream if you like. Serves 2.