Off the shelf.  I sort of let things slip this week.  Instead of my ususal weekly menus, grocery lists, and planned shopping, I took a much more casual approach. I was working in the garden and just didn't want to shift gears.  The only problem with this approach is that come dinner time, I often don't have a clue about what to cook.  When we have a lot of fresh produce from the garden it's not so bad, I just cruise through the garden for inspiration, but at this time of year I must rely on my own stash.  Here is one of my alltime favorite, last minute, dinners. A pasta with tuna in a slow-cooked garlic sauce.  It is sooooo good. If you keep a well stocked pantry, chances are that you have all the necessary ingredients.

The original version of this recipe came from The Joy of Cooking.  They simply called it "Canned Tuna Sauce".  Surely there must be a better name.

Here's what you'll need:

Pasta - I always use spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
chopped fresh  italian parsley
8-10 cloves of garlic
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes - or more

1 can of good quality tuna - I like Oregon caught albacore (Jack's Country Store)
1 tbsp drained capers
a little fresh parsely
salt and pepper

1.Over a low heat, saute the garlic and parsley in olive oil until soft. Allow to cook slowly and not brown.  Stir in olives, fennel, red pepper and about 1/2 cup of cooking water from the pasta.  Cook a few minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in flaked tuna, and capers. Taste for salt and pepper and add the fresh parsley at the last minute.

As you can see, this recipe is very easy, fast, and delicious.  The most important part is slowly cooking the garlic.  This can be done while you make a salad. The olives and capers add a nice zing to the flavors of the garlic and tuna.  Try it, I'm sure you'll like it.