Tuna Melt

This is almost a knife and fork sandwich; it is gooey, messy, but seriously finger licking good.  The addition of the red wine vinegar really completes the full flavor of the tuna salad.  It keeps it tasting fresh and bright. Don't leave it out!

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Tuna Melt
recipe adapted from allrecipes

2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna in water, drained  ("solid light tuna" doesn't mean healthier!  Please don't make that mistake!)
1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus a little more for spreading on muffins
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 english muffins, split
2 slices cheese of your choice, (I used American) broken in half
tomato slices and lettuce for garnish

Preheat the oven broiler.

In a bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the english muffins on a baking sheet, and broil 1 minute, until lightly toasted.  Remove from the oven and spread 2 halves with the tuna salad.  Place 1 cheese slice on top of the tuna salad, layer with a tomato slice and top with remaining cheese slices.

Return the tuna salad topped muffins to the preheated oven, and broil 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Meanwhile, spread mayonnaise onto the two reserved halves of english muffins.  Once finish broiling, remove from oven, top with the lettuce and remaining halves of english muffins.  Serve with a nice bowl of Gourmet Tomato or Loaded Potato Soup.  Enjoy!

Find my recipe and more at Foodista.com!

Tuna Melt

A Simple Staple- Tuna Salad Sandwiches

I almost feel silly making a post about something as simple as tuna salad.  But honestly sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. This one is yummy!

6 oz. can good quality water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and ground black pepper to taste

For on your sandwich
radishes, thinly sliced (about 2-3)
alfalfa sprouts
romaine lettuce
(cucumbers thinly sliced and tomatoes are also good additions)

Place first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Onto some nice quality bread, lightly spread one side with a bit of mayonnaise.  Divide the tuna salad mixture amongst half of the slices of bread and layer with the radishes, alfalfa sprouts and romaine lettuce.  Top with remaining slices of bread, press together lightly, and serve.   Pairs beautifully with a bowl of Gourmet Tomato Soup.

Tuna Niçoise Salad

This weekend was full of beautiful ladies, gifts and delicious food for the celebration of my friend Lane's wedding shower.  I wanted to bring a nice salad for lunch and thought that a Tuna Niçoise would be the perfect elegant choice for such a party. The Niçoise is very similar to the American Cobb Salad, where each ingredient is placed separately on the platter.  The only main difference is that it uses tuna, potatoes and green beans where the chicken, avocado and bacon would be. Traditionally in Nice, France (where the salad originated from), the Niçoise Salad is served with canned tuna that has been packed in oil and then drained.  More and more recently it is common to see grilled tuna as well.  For my own ease of preparation, I went the traditional route and used high quality canned tuna.  Once all presented on the platter, the salad looks incredibly impressive, but it is actually quite simple to prepare.  It is colorful, full of flavor and the perfect dish to serve for any summer party.

Tuna Niçoise Salad

Salad
4 cans high quality Tuna packed in oil, drained
1 lb baby red skinned or fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and halved (or quartered if too large)
3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered in wedges
2 heads Romaine or Bibb lettuce, washed, well dried, and chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp capers
1/4 cup niçoise olives (I used an assortment of marinated olives)
several anchovies (optional)

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine lemon juice, shallot, thyme, basil, oregano, and mustard in medium bowl. Slowly whisk while pouring the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon (do not discard boiling water). Lightly coat warm potatoes with vinaigrette; set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, toss lettuce with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in large bowl until coated. Arrange bed of lettuce on a serving platter (I used two serving platters, so everything would fit nicely on each). Mound tuna in center of lettuce. Arrange reserved potatoes in a mound on the lettuce.

Return water to boil and add green beans. Cook until tender but crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain beans, transfer to reserved ice water, and let stand until just cool, about 30 seconds; dry beans well. Toss beans in 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste; arrange in a mound on the lettuce. Next arrange the cherry tomatoes in another mound on your lettuce. Place the hard boiled eggs around the outside of the salad and lightly drizzle them with the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle entire salad with the red onion, olives and capers. Place the anchovies (if using) on the top of the salad. I bought anchovies that were rolled around capers. They looked very pretty on the plate and I felt they were much less intimidating served this way.

Serve Immediately.