• Salt
• 3 ounces penne (or fusilli or shell pasta)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion or fat shallot , thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic , peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 large, ripe plum tomatoes (about 7 ounces), cut into rough chunks
• 1 Tbsp. white wine
• 2 1/2 to 3 ounces canned tuna in olive oil
• 10 Italian or Greek black olives , pitted and quartered
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of water with 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil. Drop in pasta; stir it around.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat; sauté onion or shallot 3 to 4 minutes, until limp. Add garlic and tomatoes and sauté for another minute. Splash in wine and cook down, about 4 minutes. Break up tuna, dropping chunky flakes into the pan. Stir in olives. Add at least 1/4 cup pasta water to the sauce. When pasta is al dente (taste to be sure), use a big strainer-like spoon to transfer it to the pan. Stir to combine, and cook for a minute. Add salt to taste if needed and more pasta water if sauce is too dry. Spoon pasta with sauce into a bowl, and scatter parsley on top.

Adapted from The Pleasures of Cooking for One, by Judith Jones, copyright © 2009, with permission from the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.