Green Tuna Pasta

I will preface this post by announcing that I have never, and I mean NEVER, been a fan of canned tuna in any form except with some mayo and spices and served as a sandwich or with some green peppers to dip. The idea of those tuna helpers or any sort of tuna casserole grossed me out. My mother and sister are even more opposed to tuna than I have ever been, so that is probably where I learned it. I don't think I will ever be able to cross over that warm canned tuna barrier, but this dish is delicious. It is a cold refreshing pasta dish that makes use of green onions, a vegetable that is very abundant in the spring and early summer.

Every week so far, green onions with my CSA. The first week, I didnt know what to do with them so I froze them. The second week, I gave my veggie partner the entire ration, because I still did not know what I should do with them. The third week, my portion of green veggies wilted before I could figure it out. Honestly, the only use I have ever had for green onions was soup. It has been super hot around here these days, so soup was not the best solution. Finally I decided to google some uses of green onion and came up with this simple sauce. There really are no exact measurements here. Go by taste. I used half a lb of pasta so you may want to double up what I have. Remember, I am only feeding me and my mini me. You can make the sauce while your pasta is cooking. This meal can be completed in just about 10 minutes. You gotta love a fresh summer meal that takes almost no time slaving in a hot kitchen.

Sauce:

Make while cooking pasta

•  a bunch of scallions/green onions, chopped
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 1 tsp lemon rind
• juice from one lemon
• Olive or grapeseed oil

Heat a Tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add green onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 5 minutes. 
Put onions and garlic into a blender and add the pasta water and lemon. Process until smooth. Add more water or oil, if needed, to reach a desired consistency.

Pasta:

• 1/2 lb pasta
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 can tuna, drained

Cook pasta according to package directions. Be sure to reserve some cooking water for the green onion sauce. Rinse with cold water. Fold in tuna and tomatoes. Mix in sauce and sprinkle some fresh basil to the top.

As apprehensive as I am about canned tuna, I was kind of excited to try this, since I figured the green onion sauce would mix well with the flavor of the tuna. I was definitely not disappointed. Sophia, however, was a hard sell. She definitely does not like tomatoes, so we had to pick them out, and we are still working on seafood. She likes crab and she likes tuna in sandwiches sometimes, but she definitely does not like shrimp. As always, my policy is to serve her whatever I am eating, no matter how many times she disliked the ingredients in the past. You never know when she will decide to like something! Fortunately when I made this, Sophia had spent some time at my sisters and already had eaten. She was a little hungry, so she sat down with me to eat and gave it a chance. She pretty much pushed aside bits that she did not like and ate all the pasta. I can totally see myself making this again