Tuna Salad Deluxe

Having been raised in the Midwestern United States, canned tuna was pretty much a staple growing up, from tuna melts to tuna hotdish, while my favorite being the tuna salad sandwich - a can of tuna, a little mayo, and a spoon full of dill relish stuffed between two slices of bread. Classic. Over the years my love for canned tuna has never waned, and to this day I enjoy experimenting with the multiple ways this delicious can of fish can be used in the kitchen.

If anyone asks what simple culinary delight I gravitate towards most while enjoying a quiet night alone at home, it would be the tuna salad. For some reason it just never gets old. Over the years of trying out different variations, mainly sweet vs. savory, I've discovered what I now call my 'Classic Tuna Salad', the one I prepare literally twice a week. It's by far my best savory salad, with a little bit of a kick and can also makes a great melt.

Fish loves olive oil, olive oil loves fish and the more the better! When making a proper tuna salad I always mix some directly in with the tuna mixture for moisture, thus needing less mayo, then pour more over the entire salad when finished. Oh, and did you know they make mayonnaise with olive oil now? Good stuff. Keep an eye out for it next time you need to restock the mayo.

For the tuna mixture:

1 can tuna in water
1 tsp. mustard powder (this provides the kick)
1 tbsp. mayo
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
squeeze of fresh lemon
dash of salt and cracked pepper

Mix the ingredients above in a bowl so all the flavors blend with the tuna, then add the follwing:

2 chopped dill pickles or one heaping spoonful of dill relish
4 finely chopped almond-stuffed green olives (or add slivered almonds)
1/3 cup chopped fennel (don't leave this out, it really is the secret of the salad!)

After all of the above ingredients are mixed together, scoop it out over your favorite veggies - I prefer mine Greek-style with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced green or red pepper, sprinkled with a little sea salt. Then pour your Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the entire salad, drizzle a little white wine vinegar, and (for those of you who live in Crete) throw in a couple of small barley rusks.

Letting go of your fear of fat...

As you may have realized by now, I am a huge advocate of eradicating the old notion that fat makes you fat. I know it seems so logical, where immediately upon ingesting the stuff that it would quickly attach itself to your most glorious bodily regions. Well, I am here to dispel the myth and consider myself living proof of the fact. I eat fat with the fullest of pleasure - no lean meats for me! Don't take that skin off my chicken! Pork belly? Bring it on! What do you mean 'drizzle' a teaspoon of olive oil on my salad? Give me the bottle!

Let's face it, fat has suffered a bum rap over the years. What we have forgotten however, is that is in fact a nutrient, one that keeps your hair shiny, your skin soft, and your belly full - saving you from those multiple trips to the kitchen. Now I'm not advocating all fats are great, but I do feel that the industrialization and manipulation of our foods over the years has caused us great damage. I truly believe that fats from natural sources - meats, fish, dairy and fruit oils (olive oil!) - are not as scary as we have been lead to believe, and that certainly not all fats are created equal. As I've said before, I don't know where that liter of olive oil goes that I consume in a week, but it doesn't appear to be going to my thighs.

As I was searching around online to see if anyone else shared my views, I happened upon a wonderful fat-advocating article from the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit organization who believes in "restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism." The foundation strives to continue the research of Weston A. Price, a nutritional researcher who supported the scientific validation of traditional diets by studying the foods and health of isolated non-industrialized peoples around the world. I highly recommend clicking here to read "Taking the Fear Out of Eating Fat" - their quest to restore some dignity to our friendly nutrient.

*photo courtesy of "The Onion"

Eggplant Parmesan

I'm really not sure what to call this, as it really is just a medley of vegetables - eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes with Parmesan cheese. I enjoy this dish year-round and especially when eggplant is in season - I love the little 'Spanish/European' eggplants that are similar in size to the zucchini and try to buy them when I can. I also find this dish to be a more satisfying vegetarian meal and as always, quite simple to prepare.

First I'd like to reiterate how I determine my portions for ingredients. When I am in my kitchen at home I generally aim to cook a generous meal for 2 people as I like having a little bit of leftovers. I do find however, that most of these recipes can be easily modified and that it's not necessary to follow the portions with precision. I'm one of those people to tends to eyeball things - rarely measuring or timing anything, unless it comes to baking of course, so I encourage you to freestyle with your portions as well.

What you'll need:

3 zucchini
3 Spanish/European eggplant (or one regular eggplant)
3 medium potatoes
1 large ripe tomato
Whole Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper

Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a deep pot on the stove. Quarter the potatoes and add to the olive oil. Quarter the zucchini and eggplant and add to the pot. You want to be sure that all the veggies are in larger pieces so they do not fall apart when cooking. Grate the tomato (as seen in previous blog) and add to the pot along with the salt and pepper to your taste. I like to salt my veggies after they are cut and let them sit for a minute allowing the salt to soak in.

When you have everything in the pot, add a good cup of water and cover. When it comes to a boil, turn it down to simmer until potatoes are cooked - about 25 to 30 minutes depending on what type of potato you're using. Do check on it once or twice while it's simmering to see if you need to add a little more water. The trick with this dish is getting the liquid just right since the zucchini and eggplant will release more water as they cook, so just keep it in mind.

After the veggies are cooked, cut up some Parmesan cheese into 1 inch cubes and add them to the pot. You want the cheese to be melted just slightly, but remain intact.

It's now ready to serve - be sure to have some bread on the table to soak up all the extra sauce on your plate!

Olive Oil Myths

This is a link to a blog written by Australian olive oil taster and blender, Richard Gawel titled "The All-Time Top 10 Myths Surrounding Extra Virgin Olive Oil". It addresses many of the common misconceptions associated with olive oil from first cold pressing, to its low smoking point, to storing your oil in the refrigerator: http://www.aromadictionary.com/EVOO_blog/?p=263

Goat Cheese Tomato Pita

Basically this post is just an excuse to play around with improving my food photography skills. I realize that the photos of my food up until this point have looked only minimally appetizing, so here's my attempt to step it up a notch with the new 'high quality' lights and tripod I just ordered.

After all the hours of playing around with my new toys, flashing pictures of bowls of fruit and pretty much anything I could get my hands on from the kitchen, I naturally developed a mid-afternoon snack attack. I then did what I do nearly every day when this happens - I opened the fridge and prepared one of my trusty staples, the goat cheese and tomato pita, dripping with olive oil. So why not use this hungry opportunity to test my equipment for real and post it on my blog? It's simple and tasty enough!

Here's all you need:

Half a pita bread
Plain goat cheese (feta also works well)
Sliced Tomato
Salt
Olive Oil

Toast the pita bread, then open and spread the inside with a good tablespoon of the goat cheese. Place a couple thinly sliced pieces of tomato inside, sprinkle with salt, then pour as much olive oil inside as you desire. I like mine to be pretty drippy - It's just no fun if the oil isn't running down your hands, but that's just me.