Tuna and Pineapple Casserole

A quick and easy recipe given to me by a friend to which I've added some extras to make it go further. The original recipe didn't have noodles, peas or corn. Since I'm also feeding my Father-in-Law, I wanted to add some vegetables to make sure he's getting his daily serve!
I made the sauce in the Thermomix, but it's easily made on the stove top.

Tuna and Pineapple Casserole
The Bush Gourmand


2 onions
60g butter

2 or more tsp curry powder to taste
2 Tbsp plain flour
1 1/2 cups milk


1 large tin tuna, drained
1 x 450g can pineapple pieces (I only had crushed pineapple, so used that)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn niblets
1/2 cup vermicelli soup noodles
salt and pepper (I used 3 tsp chicken stock powder instead)
Home made breadcrumbs
melted butter

Peel and cut onions into quarters. Chop for 3 seconds/speed 5. Scrape down and repeat. Add butter and saute on speed 3/reverse/100, setting timer for 5 minutes.
At the 4 minute mark, add flour and curry powder and continue sauteing for a further minute.
Set dial to speed 2/reverse/1 minutes and gradually add milk. Cook on 100/5 minutes/Reverse/speed 2-3
Add noodles and pineapple, including juice and continue cooking for a minute or so.
Place tuna into a casserole dish with peas and corn and pour sauce over. Mix gently.
Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and place over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Salad Niçoise

As many of my blog followers would know, I love to re-create meals that I've had when I go out to eat.

I recently spent some time in Perth and enjoyed a number of delicious meals. On the way home, we stopped for lunch at the Rainbow Cafe in Williams where I had Salad Niçoise. (pronounced nee-swahz)

I was a little disappointed as their wasn't much flavour in the dressing and everything was very cold, so today I've made my own version. I've adapted a recipe found at taste.com.au .

My version includes the anchovies in the dressing rather than as part of the salad and I added cucumber to the salad. I cooked the eggs, potatoes and beans in the Thermomix. They can easily be cooked on the stove. Simply pop the beans into the hot water after the eggs and potatoes have cooked.
If you have kipfler potatoes, they're the best for this, if not, baby potatoes will suffice.

Megan's Salad Niçoise
Serves 2

2 small cans Tuna in oil (less dry than the ones in springwater or brine)
4 chat potatoes, halved
2 eggs
small bundle green beans, topped tailed and cut in half
cucumber, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
Lettuce, in small chunks

Dressing
1 shallot (I didn't have any, so left this out)
1 clove garlic
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp White Balsamic or White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
120g EVOO
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves or about 2 1/2 Tbsp of Basil Paste
4 anchovies
20g agave syrup or 2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

NIÇOISE DRESSING:

Place everything in the Thermomix and blitz on speed 9 for about 15 seconds. Scrape down and blitz again until homogenized.
Pour into a jar.
You can rinse Thermomix if desired, but it's not necessary.
Fill Thermomix bowl with cold water to the litre mark. Add about a teaspoon of salt.
Place potatoes and eggs in to the steamer basket and cook on Varoma for around 12 - 15 minutes. I did extra potato and cooked for 15 minutes.

Remove from basket and cool to room temperature only. Do not refrigerate until cold as this salad is best served at room temperature. Peel and cut eggs into 4.
Place beans into basket and cook on Varoma for 2 minutes. Remove and place into cold water to refresh.

Place lettuce, tomato and cucumber into large, shallow bowl. Add potatoes, eggs and beans. Place drained tuna on top of beans and drizzle with dressing.

Edited to add:

This dressing is delicious! The basil gives a really wonderful peppery aromatic flavour. I had it again today with a regular salad topped with the rest of the tuna and tossed with the Basil Dressing.

Enjoy!

Megan

Quick Tuna Risotto

It seems whenever I have a big breakfast, I'm hungry again around lunchtime.
Today was no execption. Bacon, eggs, tomato and spaghetti for breakfast on a slice of gorgeous homemade bread at 9am (yes, we had a lie-in today), then hungry at 1 o'clock!

I've been in the kitchen most of the morning, baking more patty cakes and a carrot cake. I knew ol' Herman would be able to whip up a super quick risotto, so looked around for inspiration and spied a tin of tuna in spring water in the pantry. This recipe is enough for two people (or one greedy person!).

Tuna & Spinach Risotto

1 small onion, quartered
20g oil
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup tuna juice
small tin of tuna in spring water
zest and juice of 1 lemon (make up to 1/2 cup with water)
handful of spinach leaves (mine were from the garden)
parsley
1/2 punnet or so of cherry tomatoes

Grate the lemon rind with the parsley leaves for a second or two and set aside. I don't do this myself, as I have a whizz bang zester and I just use scissors to chop the parsley into the bowl.

Turn Thermomix on to speed 5 and drop onion on to blades, (cover with hand quickly) for a couple of seconds. Scrape down and blitz at speed 4 for a second or two if necessary. Scrape down again.
Add oil and heat at Varoma for 2 minutes/speed 1. Add rice and cook at same temperature for a couple of minutes.
Add wine, water and tuna juice and cook for 10 minutes/100/speed 2, reverse. Add lemon juice and rind and cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. Add spinach leaves, tuna, chopped parsley and tomato and cook for 2 minutes/ reverse/speed 1 - 2. Use Thermomix spatula to help incorporate spinach.

You could add parmesan cheese, but I was so hungry, I just poured it into my bowl and scoffed it. Lemon pepper woud also be a nice addition. It doesn't need extra salt as the tuna is salty enough.
Sorry, no photo - too hungry!