Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Do you want to pep up that can of tuna?  Instead of a tunafish sandwich for lunch, try this riff on the popular pantry item.  All you need is a good quality olive-oil packed tuna, a can of spicy pickled jalapenos and carrots and some crispy fried corn tortillas.  It took me a while to find the pickled jalapenos on the international food aisle.  This is the brand that I used.

I loved combining the tuna with this pickled jalapeno mixture rather than the more caloric mayonnaise dressing.  Because I had the special 9 80 Panama sauces from my previous post and giveaway, I also added a tablespoon of the Wild Cilantro sauce.  This is optional if you do not have it.

When the tuna mixture is served on the crispy corn tortillas you will not miss having a boring sandwich.

As a disclaimer I have no connection with La Costena or 9 80 Panama sauces other than being given a set of sauces to try.  All opinions are my own.  Now on to the winner of the 4 pack of sauces.  The winner is Karen of Back Road Journal.  Please email me, Karen, with your address.  Congratulations.

TUNA TOSTADAS (Adapted from Food and Wine)

Canola oil, for frying
4 corn tortillas
Salt to taste
5 ounce can of tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers and carrots from a can plus 1/4 cup of the brine
1 Tablespoon Wild Cilantro 9 80 Panama sauce (Optional)
Chopped cilantro leaves
Sliced radishes
Toasted sliced almonds

In a medium skillet, heat a small amount of oil.  Add 1 tortilla to the hot oil and fry over moderate heat, turning, until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain; season lightly with salt.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

In a bowl mix the tuna with the jalapenos and carrots and their brine plus the Wild Cilantro sauce if using.  Spoon the tuna onto the tostadas and top with cilantro, radishes and toasted almond slices.

Printable Recipe

We have been enjoying warmer weather this week.  David has been working on the boat, getting it cleaned of cobwebs, and checking the engine.  The lake is glistening and quiet.  There is not much boat traffic this early in the season.  I took our kayak out for the first time.  I was sure that I would capsize it, but found my balance quickly.  The alternative would be a dunking in frigid water.  It was relaxing paddling by lakefront houses seeing the improvements that neighbors have made to their properties over the winter.  The Ellis’s have finished their party dock and lakeside cabin. There is a new house going up a few doors down.  Hanging baskets adorn many docks and the dogwoods and azaleas are in bloom.

This was a day calling for a special lunch.  I found a can of pinto beans and Italian tuna packed in olive oil in the pantry.  From the fridge I pulled a jar of peperoncini, lemons, cherry tomatoes, celery and red onion.  The recipe was inspired by one made by Kalyn’s Kitchen; one of my favorite healthy bloggers.  We polished off the whole thing.  David said we should eat lunch like this every day.

The dressing for the salad includes some of the peperoncini juice, lemon juice, olive oil, taco seasoning and a hit of hot pepper sauce.

While shopping at Trader Joe’s last week, I picked up a small pot of tulips still in the bud stage.  Look at them now in my sunny living room.  Not a bad investment for $3.99.

I love how such a small pot of flowers can make me smile.  Something else that makes me smile is the Spring ritual that my friend Penny and I have formed.  Each Spring when I return from Florida, we get together in Asheville for antiquing and lunch at our favorite bistro, Fig.

It was a little cool last week, but we ate at our favorite table anyway.

Penny had the PEI Mussels with Pommes Frites.  I had Chicken Schnitzel with white beans, andouille sausage and a piquillo pepper coulis.  It was delicious and it was fun catching up after a dreary winter.  . . . But back to this week’s lunch.

I think this is a great recipe.  Thanks to Kalyn for the inspiration.

TUNA AND PINTO BEAN SALAD

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the bottle of peppers)
1/2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce, more or less depending on how spicy you like it
1 tsp. Taco seasoning
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 large peperoncini peppers, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 cup chopped tomato, drained if the tomatoes are very juicy (I used cherry tomatoes cut in fourths)
4 or 5 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 can (5-7 oz) Italian tuna packed in olive oil

Add rinsed and drained pinto beans to a medium size bowl.  Mix together the lemon juice, peperoncini juice, tabasco, taco seasoning, salt and pepper and olive oil. Whisk until combined.  Add rest of the ingredients except basil to the pinto beans.  Pour dressing over and stir to combine.  Sprinkle basil over the top and serve.

Printable Recipe

While going through my file of old recipes, I found the tuna noodle casserole that was so popular years ago.  We all had that recipe and it included cream of mushroom soup.  I rarely ever use cream of mushroom soup anymore.  So I decided to try and update the recipe with fresher ingredients.  A trip to Costco had yielded some nice cans of Italian tuna packed in olive oil.  I think tuna packed in olive oil has so much more flavor.  Instead of canned soup I made my own white sauce enhanced with sherry.  The recipe is one that I adapted from Epicurious.

I used fewer egg noodles than what was called for in the old recipe.  Too much pasta tends to absorb the sauce, resulting in a dry casserole.  The topping could have been breadcrumbs or potato chips (Yikes!), but I am partial to Ritz crackers.  Most of the recipes also have a sprinkling of cheese on top.  I have included it in the printed recipe, but did not use it.  To my thinking fish and cheese do not go together.

Although the casserole required cleaning up several pans,  I felt it was worth the effort to freshen up an old classic.  I am having fun with my retro recipes.  I still want to post my classic Texas Pecan Torte, but will wait until a time when we have someone with whom to share it.  We can’t afford the calories right now.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 8 oz mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Sherry
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (6-oz) cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 8 oz dried medium egg noodles
• 2/3 of a sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
• 4 oz coarsely grated Cheddar (1 cup) optional
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to moderately high and add mushrooms, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to sauté mushrooms, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add broth in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Whisk in milk and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, lemon juice, peas and salt. Flake tuna into sauce and stir gently. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain noodles in a colander and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly.

Toss together cracker crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil or melted butter and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Printable recipe

When looking for something healthy for us to eat for lunch, I grabbed Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Foolproof.  I remembered seeing a tuna salad recipe that sounded interesting and flavorful.  The ingredients were intriguing; good quality canned tuna, roasted red peppers, olives, capers, lots of lemon flavor, basil and that pearly white grain, Israeli couscous.  There was also garlic in the salad.  This gave me a good opportunity to try out my new garlic press that I received from a company called Savora.

I was contacted by Savora to try out one of the kitchen tools from their new line of products.  They sent me a garlic press and asked me to give an honest evaluation of it.  I received no monetary compensation other that the garlic press itself.  To be honest with you, I hardly ever use a garlic press.  I have gotten so used to chopping garlic by hand.  But I was impressed with the beauty and quality of this garlic press.  All of the Savora kitchen tools have eye-catching lines and they come in 8 different vibrant colors.  The design teams worked hard on both the aesthetics of the tools and the performance.  The Savora garlic press is designed to crush up to 5 cloves of garlic at once.  The mechanism is strong and makes pressing the garlic easy.  Not only that, the garlic press comes apart with just a twist of the top so that clean up is a breeze.  I will definitely be using my garlic press from now on.  It is especially good for recipes that call for lots of garlic or in salads like this one where you want the garlic to blend easily into the other ingredients.  You can find out more about the Savora line on Facebook, Pinterest, or Savorastyle.com.

This is such a pretty salad.  Ina says to use Italian tuna, but my humble grocery store only has the usual brands.  So I chose a light tuna packed in olive oil.  It worked just fine.  We loved this salad.  It can be eaten hot or cold.  It is packed with flavor too.  I just happened to watch The Food Network Barefoot Contessa program this week and Ina made this for Jeffery.  They were renting a house in Napa Valley and they dined on the couscous salad in their garden.  Ah, to be in Napa Valley dining amongst the vineyards.  No matter, we loved it right here at home.  It will be a regular from now on.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS AND TUNA SALAD

2 cups Israeli couscous (10 to 12 ounces)
2 (7-ounce) cans or jars Italian tuna, drained and flaked
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup pitted, oil-cured black olives, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, medium-diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped scallions (6 to 8 scallions)
1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.  Add the couscous and reduce the heat to very low.  Cover the pot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the couscous is just tender.  Drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, combine the tuna, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, capers, olives, red peppers, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in a large bowl.  Pour the hot couscous into the mixture and stir well.  Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Just before servine, stir in the scallions, basil, juice of the 1/2 lemon, and 1 more teaspoon of salt.  Taste for seasonings and serve warm or at room temperature.

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I brought only one cookbook with me to Florida.  Admittedly I have a large collection both in Lake Lure and here, but only one book from Lake Lure spoke to me to be included in the trip South.  It was Sara Foster’s Fresh Every Day.  I love her seasonal approach to cooking and the Southern leanings of the book.  But this book is more a reflection of the new South, with twists on old Southern favorites like biscuits and cornbread.  In Sara’s hands they become sweet potato biscuits and cornbread panzanella.

Some things are truly Southern.  Tuna salad with hard boiled eggs and sweet pickles is one of them.  You can eat the tuna salad in a sandwich, but how about serving it on toasted crostini with a garnish of roasted red pepper.  Sara has elevated a simple classic.  Somehow it tastes a little better to me that way.

SOUTHERN -STYLE TUNA SALAD WITH PICKLES AND EGGS (adapted from Fresh Every Day)

2 6 ounce cans solid white tuna packed in water or oil (I like oil better), drained
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
4 small sweet pickles or 10 whole cornichons, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or parsley leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the tuna in a medium bowl with the chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, salt, and pepper and stir to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Printable recipe

Now onto some exciting news for me.  I entered a contest that is being offered by my blogging buddy Dave’s new website eRecipeCards.  He has gone from blogging his own posts on My Year on the Grill to establishing a website where all us can submit our recipes to share with everyone.  I am loving eRecipeCards.com so much.  It has increased the traffic on my blog and introduced me to lots of other bloggers.  It is a community of cooks both old and new.  I know many of you submit your recipes to the website.  Dave has even started a new blog called Inspired by eRecipeCards.com where he recreates recipes from those of us who contribute to the website.  He is a very supportive guy.

His first contest is being sponsored by O OLIVE OIL.

O OLIVE OIL is offering a box of their cirtrus olive oils and barrel aged vinegars to the winner.  There will also be monetary prizes for best photography and best writing skills.  I submitted an idea for a recipe to O OLIVE OIL and they liked what I suggested.  I am one of 8 bloggers who will post a recipe using O OLIVE OIL oils and vinegars and a review of the products on December 1st.  I look forward to the challenge and to your support.