As I’m writing this there are only 12,5 hours to go before the end of the year, but before I start typing my new year’s resolutions on a light blue, and quite possibly magic, vintage typewriter (one of my yearly rituals), and before I dance my ass off at my friends’ NYE party, I will leave you with a recipe for this slightly experimental but totally tasty no-cook pasta dish. The subtle aniseed notes of the fresh chervil pair beautifully with the salty tuna and tangy artichokes, the toasted mustard seeds add a surprising crunch and the unpasteurised black olives are a revelation. Reddish brown rather than black, they are so much juicier and aromatic than your ordinary black olive and totally worth spending a little extra on. 

Ingredients (for 2):

200 g conchiglie (little pasta shells)

1 can of tuna (MSC certified)

2 tbsp organic unpasteurised black olives (reddish brown)

20 g chervil, finely chopped

5 artichoke hearts, torn into smaller pieces

2 tbsp mustard seeds, lightly toasted

• Add the conchiglie to a pan of salted boiling water and boil for about 7-8 minutes or according to instructions.
• Get your other ingredients ready: toast the mustard seeds until they start to jump a little. Finely chop the chervil, get the olives ready and tear the artichoke hearts into smaller pieces. Drain the tuna and set aside.
• Drain the pasta, put it back in the pan on very low heat and add all the ingredients, starting with the tuna and ending with the chervil.
• Season with salt (the olives and artichokes and tuna will already be quite salty so it doesn’t need much extra) and pepper to taste. Eat with a spoon and enjoy!