Angi's spaghetti with tuna and Italian tomato sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500g spaghetti
• 5 liters of water
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 cans of tuna in oil, alternatively in its own juice
• 2 tbsp oil from the tuna can, alternatively olive oil
• 5 shallots
• 5 garlic cloves
• 250 ml dry white wine, alternatively vegetable stock
• 500 ml tomato sauce
• 100 g olives, black, for chopping
• 1 handful of black olives, whole, for garnishing
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, lighter
• some salt and pepper, black, freshly ground
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, or amount to taste
• 1 kg vine tomatoes, fresh, alternatively chopped tomatoes from the can
• 1 large onion(s) or 4 shallots
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 handful of oregano leaves, fresh or dried
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Open the cans of tuna and drain in a sieve, reserving the oil. Peel and finely dice the shallots. Finely chop the garlic. Finely dice the olives, leaving a handful whole for garnishing, if desired. Heat the reserved oil or olive oil in a non-stick pan. Cut the tuna into small pieces and fry well. Fry the shallots and finally add the diced garlic, but do not let them brown, as this will make them bitter. Deglaze with the white wine or vegetable stock and reduce the heat. Stay there and stir. Stir in the tomato sauce, reduce the heat, and continue to simmer. Add the sliced ​​olives and balsamic vinegar to the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and honey. Reduce the heat to low. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce with a pasta spoon and stir to combine. Finally, sprinkle the chopped parsley over the sauce and serve. For the tomato sauce: Peel and halve the onions or chop them into large pieces. Chop the garlic into large pieces. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan until very hot and fry the onions until dark brown. Then add the garlic, but don’t let it brown, as it will taste bitter. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat, and let the sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the onions and bay leaves and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Tomato sauce is the basis for many pasta sauces and can also be pureed if desired, e.g., for pizza sauce. It will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you want chunks of onion in the tomato sauce, simply dice the onions first.