The price of Italian pasta brands may soar as a result of 107% tariffs scheduled to kick in January 2026, I learned this week from the Wall Street Journal and other sources.
If those products are even available, that is. Italian marketers are threatening to halt shipments, saying the dazi USA will make it impossible to do business with this country.
American-made pasta will still be available, of course. But I do have a preference for pasta made in Italy, ranging from supermarket brands such as La Molisana and Rummo to more prestigious brands such as Martelli and Faella. In my experience, American pasta tends to cook past the al dente stage more readily than Italian bronze die-cut pasta.
That’s a blanket generalization, of course–I could be short-changing some American pasta makers–but I like to have that choice as a consumer.
As is true for many Americans, some pasta dish or other is on my meal rotation just about every week. Hard to predict the future, but I’m thinking I’ll buy and cook more Italian pasta in the near future, while it’s still affordable.
The pasta I’m making this week is a favorite: spicy-tangy tuna spaghetti. It’s a variation on the familiar Italian sauce known as aglio, olio e peperoncino (garlic, oil, hot pepper). It’s spicy but also tangy, thanks to capers and lemon juice. Perfect for a spaghettata: a pasta feast improvised from ready-to-go ingredients.
Sharing this recipe makes me want to eat it, so I’m planning to do that later this week. While we sit down to this meal, I’ll be wondering if an humble pasta dish such as this one is destined to become a luxury in the future.
And also pondering what’s next on a super-charged Italian food tariff list. Olive oil? That might break my heart.
When everyone’s starving at some weird hour, it’s time for a spaghettata—a pasta feast improvised from ready-to-go ingredients. This tuna-tomato sauce and the anchovy variation are not only satisfying, but require no cooking apart from the pasta.
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup black or green Mediterranean olives, pitted and cut in slivers
- 1 tablespoon capers soaked in cold water, drained
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or finely chopped
- 1 can (about 7 ounces) good-quality tuna packed in olive oil drained
- 1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta shape
- 1/2 teaspoon Hot red pepper flakes or to taste
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup toasted fresh bread crumbs optional (recipe follows)
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Fill a large saucepan about two-thirds full with cold water and set over high heat to boil for the pasta. Add a small handful of salt.
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While the water is heating, combine tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, olives, capers and garlic in a medium bowl. Flake tuna into bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and hot red pepper flakes.
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Drop spaghetti into boiling water, pressing with a wooden spoon until fully immersed; stir well. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente.
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Drain spaghetti, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Turn spaghetti into the bowl with the tuna-tomato sauce, and mix well, adding cooking water as needed for a saucy consistency. Taste and add more salt and hot red pepper if needed. Stir in parsley and sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top (if using).
Variation
Penne with Tomatoes, Anchovies, and Baby Arugula: For the tuna, substitute 8 or more anchovy fillets pinched in small pieces. In place of the parsley, fold 2 to 3 cups baby arugula into the hot pasta.
I thought I knew how to toast breadcrumbs until I watched Fiorangela Piccione transform fresh breadcrumbs into crusty golden morsels. First of all, the Siracusa cook used pan carré, an ordinary white bread, instead of the semolina bread I was expecting. The only oil was a smear in the bottom of the pan and the heat seemed much too high. But, sure enough, Fiora knew what she was doing. She didn’t want breadcrumbs that were “molle molle” (too soft) and, because they were for a pasta sauce containing oil, she wished to avoid any hint of oiliness in the crumbs. This recipe was originally printed in my cookbook, Seafood alla Siciliana; it is terrific for all kinds of seafood pasta dishes. The only adjustment I've made over the years is to substitute whole-grain bread for white bread.
- 2 or 3 slices firm white, semolina, rye or other whole-grain bread
- 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil see Note
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Tear or slice the bread into several pieces, placing them in a food processor bowl. Process until reduced to coarse crumbs (makes about 2 cups).
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Smear the bottom of a medium-sized skillet with olive oil. Place the breadcrumbs in the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Heat the crumbs, stirring constantly (don’t even think about walking away!). Over the course of about 5 minutes, the crumbs will begin to change color. Continue stirring until they are golden brown and crisp (some of the crumbs will be browner than others, and that’s okay). If the crumbs start to burn, reduce the heat or temporarily remove the skillet from the heat.
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Remove the skillet from the heat and continue stirring for about half a minute, as the crumbs cool.
Note: Any toasted breadcrumbs not used immediately can be cooled and held at room temperature for a couple of days, or frozen indefinitely.
