Mea Culpa (me-a cul-pa) an acknowledgment of one’s fault or error.
I am always grateful for being in a position where I admit I was wrong. To know that you were wrong, learning, synthesis, and growth have occurred. Last week, I declared loudly that my aversion to hot tuna manifests in my dislike of tuna casserole. After writing nice things about my husband, I thought about how setting aside my dislike and preparing for him a hot dish with tuna would be a great demonstration of my gratitude. So I did some research and found a recipe cooked in an oven that contains tuna–fortunately, I settled on one that also includes beans. Tuna casserole, in its pre-1980s mid-western iteration, is prepared with pasta or rice, includes peas, and is topped with potato chips. The One-Pan Tuna-White Bean Casserole is based on a recipe for a Breton tuna and white bean gratin that has been simplified and mid-westernized for the traditional tuna casserole-loving masses.
My love of virtually every dish that contains beans increased the likelihood that I would not detest the dish, so I jumped on the Tuna Boat and embarked on a culinary voyage.
While not even close to a traditional tuna casserole, my husband declared that the dish qualifies as such by including tuna, being baked in an oven, and being served in a casserole dish.
So, friends, I give you a tuna casserole that even Kelli enjoys.
One-Pan Tuna-White Bean Casserole
By Melissa Clark
INGREDIENTS:
2 leeks, white and light green parts cleaned and chopped
2 T olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pinch kosher salt
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 spring rosemary
2 anchovy fillets
2 (15-ounce) cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
¾ c white wine, or use water or broth
¼ c milk
2 (5-ounce) cans of good tuna in oil
2 T tarragon, chopped
½ lemon zested and juiced
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
6-8 T shredded cheese (gruyere, cheddar, Jarlsberg, Emmentaler)
½ - ¾ c kettle-style potato chips, crushed
1 T butter, cut into small pieces
- DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 °. In an ovenproof skillet, sauté leeks in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. - Add red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic cloves. Throw in rosemary sprig. Add anchovy fillets. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is slightly golden and aromatic.
- Add the white beans and the wine. Simmer until the liquid evaporates, and the beans are soft, about 8 minutes. Mash the beans with a fork until they are as smooth or lumpy as you prefer. You just want to release some of the starch. Turn off the heat.
- Add the milk and the tuna. If you are using tuna in oil, add the oil. If you bought water-packed tuna, drain off the water and add more olive oil.
- Mash the tuna into the beans, leaving it a little chunky. Add the tarragon, lemon zest, and lots of black pepper. Mix in 4 T of the grated cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the skillet and top with crumbled potato chips. Scatter on the rest of the grated cheese, and dot the top with nuggets of butter.
- Bake until the tuna mixture bubbles around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. If you want the potato chips to get more brown, run the whole pan under the broiler for a few minutes, but watch it carefully. Finish with lemon juice.
Kelli Kelly -Slinger of Produce.
Slurper of Dumplings. Person of the Bean
Comment
Comments