Mixed Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tuna excerpted from Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattana. Photography © Dave Brown 2026.
“More than just a cookbook – it’s a love letter to Sardinia” – Jamie Oliver
An exciting debut cookbook from a rising star in the world of Italian cooking!
Sardinia captures the true spirit of Mediterranean cooking. Here, you find a way of life filled with simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients, healthy fats and plenty of time spent cooking, eating and spending time with loved ones. Sardinia is, after all, one of only five designated “blue zones” in the world – where people live longer than anywhere else.
In Eat Like a Sardinian, chef Francesco Mattana invites you to discover the rich and varied food culture of the island, bringing together his experiences learning to cook from the women around him and years of teaching at Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School to create authentic, delicious home cooking recipes that everyone can master, with all the tips and tricks needed to get them right every time. Find the perfect small bite for your aperitivo hour, stock up your pantry with preserves, perfect your pasta and bread-making skills, learn how to entertain the Sardinian way with impressive fish, meat and vegetable dishes and finish it all off with a traditional dolci. Who knew healthy living could be so sweet?
Recipes include Francesco’s viral spaghetti al pomodoro, Italian lemon tart, roasted lamb with artichokes and potatoes, bruschetta with figs, and the “live to 100” minestrone.
Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattana
Mixed Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tuna
Pasticcio Carlofortino
Serves 4
200g (7oz) sweet baby plum or small cherry tomatoes
30g (1 oz) basil
60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
30g (1 oz) pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 garlic clove
25g (1 oz) pecorino, grated
25g (1 oz) Grana Padano, grated
200g (7 oz) trofie or casarecce
150g (5 ½ oz) good-quality tuna preserved in olive oil
fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan (475°F/gas mark 9).
Put the tomatoes into a baking tray (pan), drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes, or until soft and slightly charred.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, ready to cook the pasta.
To make the pesto, put the basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the cheeses and blend again until a thick pesto has formed. If needed, add a few tablespoons of water to make it easier to blitz the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Salt the pasta water and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente, then drain, reserving a cup of the water.
Return the pasta to the saucepan, off the heat. Add the pesto and give it a good stir until the pesto coats the pasta, creating a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
Drain the tuna and add it to the pasta along with the cooked tomatoes.
Give everything a good final stir, then serve.
Top tips
If you are not a big fan of tuna, feel free to skip it, as you can simply make this as a delicious basil pesto pasta dish.
If you love pesto, make a big batch of this and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe published with permission from Murdoch Books.