Open-Face Tuna Melt

Ingredients:

1 6-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 of a red bell pepper, 1/4" dice
Green parts of 2 scallions, 1/4" dice
2 teaspoons capers, drained, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons mayo
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 slices good bread -- ciabatta
Olive oil
Slices of soft cheese -- Asiago 

Directions:

Tuna packed in olive oil is one of the genuinely great things in life. It has a tenderness that the water-packed varieties lack utterly. It costs a bit more, and is worth every penny. The daughter and I became hopelessly addicted to it last summer in Italy and France. We'd buy small cans in 3-packs. We used it in pastas, on salads, and carried it in a backpack for impromptu lunches, knowing we could always score good bread with which to eat it. It's become a pantry staple I wouldn't want to try to do without. To use it here, don't drain the oil off too aggressively. Leave about half of it in the can; it will contribute a lovely silkiness to the filling. Scrape the tuna and oil into a mixing bowl.

May I tell you about an easy way to break down a bell pepper? Stand it on end, position your knife at the bump of the "shoulder", and slice down, following the curve of the pepper. You'll take off about a quarter of it, and leave the seeds and white pith attached to the center. Slice the pepper into strips, then lay a few at a time on their sides to chop. A knife will cut through the skin much more easily from the side than if you lay the strips skin-side down or up. Especially if your knife isn't, ahem, as sharp as it probably should be. Add the peppers to the bowl.

Slice the scallions and add them to the bowl. Roughly chop the capers (you're just trying to break them up a bit) and add them to the bowl. Mince the thyme (the stems on my plant in the kitchen window are so tender that I don't even need to pull the leaves off) and add it. Eyeball the mayo, but don't use a heavy hand. You want just enough to bind the mixture. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the red pepper flakes. Gently stir everything together.

Turn on the broiler. Set a rack a notch below the one right under the broiler; that will let the filling warm and cheese melt without either burning. I prefer broiling the outsides of the bread, then adding the filling and cheese, and passing everything under the broiler again. I love the additional layer of flavor that comes from allowing the cheese and edges of the bread to brown on the inside, rather than simply melt, as they would in a skillet or press. Lay bread slices outsides-up on a baking sheet NOT lined with parchment, for what I trust are obvious reasons. Brush them with olive oil and place under broiler. Don't walk away. They should brown nicely within about a minute. Remove the baking sheet and use tongs to turn over slices of bread. Divide filling between two slices, and arrange cheese on the others. Return to broiler. Heat for about 2 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, and filling has heated.

Remove from oven, Use tongs to turn the cheese-y slices over on top of those spread with filling. Slice in half, and serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs

 

Ingredients:

Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons slivered Kalamata olives
2 cans (6 ounces each) chunk light tuna in water, drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse bread and 1 teaspoon oil until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, olives, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss, adding enough pasta water to coat. Add tuna; toss gently. Serve sprinkled with breadcrumbs.

Tuna Steak Salad with Avocado

Ingredients:

2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling

2 limes, zest grated

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced

1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)

1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions:

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

5 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup diced portobello mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk (whole)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cans oil packed tuna, drained
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked until al dente and drained
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup panko bread crumps 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large sautee pan, heat 1 Tbs. of butter over medium-high until foaming. Stir in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have given off all of their liquid and cooked through (10 or so minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

Add another 1/2 Tbs. butter to the frying pan, then cook onion, shallot and celery together for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chopped herbs and the sherry and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir the mushrooms into this mixture, then set this aside. 

In a saucepan, heat 3 Tbs. of butter over medium-high until foaming. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for about 2 minutes. Then whisk in the milk and chicken stock, bit by bit, to make a smooth sauce. Cook, stirring, until just slightly thickened (another minute or two). Then add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Flake the tuna and combine the tuna, the white sauce, the mushroom-onion mixture, and the noodles all together. Grease and 8X8 inch baking pan and transfer the casserole mixture into it. 

In a small pan, melt the last Tbs. of butter. Stir in the minced garlic and the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until the panko is golden brown. Sprinkle this all over the casserole. Put the casserole in the oven and bake until it is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve.