Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Tuna casserole~not!

He's out of town...now what do I make???
Tuna casserole is one of the foods my husband & I had to agree to disagree upon years ago. He has never wanted to darken that door again as an adult. I don't know how he was worn out on the classic Tuna Noodle delight but he truly dislikes every part of the creamy,gooey pasta & crunchy topping we all grew up with. Apparently it occupies some dark epicurious cavern within my his childhood. He doesn't want tuna casserole, warm tuna or really much of anything tuna!! We now live in a country where tuna dishes seem to pop up where one least expects it. I've witnessed tuna stuffed peppers, tuna empanadas, aspics & oceans of tuna products that are too off the wall to mention. Mexico has gone upscale in the Tuna world as well. I routinely see $75.00 Jars of Spanish Tuna packed in oil. *Yes, that is 75 American dollars!! Tuna is both gourmet & pedestrian at the same time in Mexico.
Tuna Casserole is the dish I've made over the years if & only if the Mister isn't in town. On that note I've found a rather grown up, lightened up version which while it's not a casserole is certainly a pleasing substitute for the old worn & tired Tuna Casserole.


















Sweet Pea & Tuna Salad

4 cups short pasta, such as shells or orecchiette
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 6-ounce cans tuna, drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, peas, celery, onion, parsley, and tuna. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, mustard, and pepper. Pour over the salad and gently toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled
~Gleaned from the pages of Real Simple magazine. (One of my favorite American magazine I export back South of the Border with me!)

8 comments:

Gini Reed said...

i'm afraid i have to side with the mr. on this one .. something about warm tuna sends me running! I will have to say though the photo looks fabulous .. maybe sans tuna : )
gini

Dee said...

Thanks Mockbird! I enjoy tuna but this would be perfect without if you threw in veggies instead.

Lauren said...

dad ate something with warm tuna in it??? no way -- not believing that!

Vicki J said...

Hola Dee! The warm tuna brought me out of hiding...LOL! Actually I hate it too - something from my childhood. By the way, you look great! Does new paint mean you're moving back soon? We'll miss you tonight at Nancy's halloween bunco.

Genie said...

Okay, I'm waiting for that cinnamon thing recipe! Bring it on!

Joie de vivre said...

Mmmm...how could he not like this?!

Chef E said...

Oh, you just reminded me of my daughters love for this...she came home one day from school and announced that her teacher made it in class and she wants it at home! Oh, that did not go over so well with her galloping gourmet step father...or me really. My mom did not make that, just goulash...mac noodles, beef, tomato sauce at least once a week, now I love that!

Dee said...

I know, seems like there are no gray areas where it concerns tuna casserole! ha! People love it or hate it! He might have to give this a try at some point... For now it is a solo meal:)