Good one, Dobs, but please no cartoons about the tuna "thing"...;-)
Sarge, if I'll ever come to SoCal yours will be the first door I'll come knocking on.
In the meantime, try this one some odf these days:
Spaghetti al nero di seppia (cuttlefish ink)
Ingredients:for servings 4, preperation time 40 min.
Cuttlefish 500 gr.
Spaghetti 300 gr.
White wine ½ glass
Tomato concentrate 2 spoonfuls
Garlic 2 cloves
Parsley a sprig
Extra-virgin olive oil 4 spoonfuls
Salt to taste
Peppercorns to taste
Nature has given the cuttlefish a black sac to defend itself and the Italians have invented another use – to colour, flavour and garnish a spaghetti dish.
Clean the cuttlefish and put the black sacs aside. Wash them under running tap water and cut them into small pieces.
Remove the stems of the parsley and wash the leaves. Peel the garlic cloves and dice them together with the parsley. Put them into a pot with the oil and add the cuttlefish and some freshly ground pepper. Stir well and cook them with the lid on at a low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the salt halfway through the cooking time.
When the time is finished, pour the wine over and add the tomato concentrate and go on cooking for another 20 minutes. Then dilute the sauce by adding a little hot water, cook at a low heat and with the lid on, for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, with a wooden spoon.
In the meantime, put a pot on the fire with plenty of salted water and when it boils, cook the spaghetti and drain al dente.
As soon as the cuttlefish are ready, add the black liquid from the sacs and let the sauce acquire flavour for a few minutes. Then remove it from the fire. Put the spaghetti onto a serving dish and season them with the cuttlefish and their sauce and serve hot at table straight away.
Serve with dry white wine, 11°C (Vermentino will do good)