Tuna Twist Salad

1/2 cup oil (1/2 olive, 1/2 vegetable)
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. French's Vive la Dijon Mustard
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup pasta, cooked and chilled
1/4 cup black olives
1 can (7 oz.) Tuna, drained

Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, oregano and salt in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake to combine.  Chill.  Cook broccoli until tender-crisp.  Chill.  combine with pasta, tuna, and olives.  Add dressing and toss to combine.  Refrigerate several hours before serving. 4 servings



Comment:  I found this recipe in a French's Vive la Dijon cook booklet.  I love tuna and I love pasta salads so this one fit both of my loves.  For pasta I had some left over cooked egg noodles so that is what I used.  My broccoli I boiled for about 2 minutes and then drained.  It was perfect for the size of my broccoli which was small.  I personally didn't enjoy this recipe because I'm not big on the vinegar taste in my pasta but my food testers loved it.  I think if I make this again for myself I'll leave out the vinegar and maybe add just a little mayo.  That sounds perfect for my taste.

Comment from Carol:  When Martha brought this salad over for me to sample, I took a bite to get my taste buds ready for a more in-depth experience of it at our evening meal.  the red wine vinegar and olive oil used to bind the tuna, broccoli, noodles and other ingredients settles in so well and refreshes and lifts the palate that I can't imagine ever using mayo again to bind tuna salad!!!  In fact, I kept going back and trying another forkful until I really had to stop to allow enough for another family member.  Moreover, I've learned something with this salad and that is another perfect marriage has been announced between tuna and broccoli!  I never realized how well they complement each other.


Comment:  See, just because I didn't like it didn't mean it wasn't good.  

Cheese and Tuna (Recipe from 1974)

12 oz. Swiss cheese, cut into small thin slices (I cut mine into thin chunks)
1 can (7 oz.) solid packed tuna, drained and flaked (I used 2 4 oz. cans)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced (I chopped mine)
4 potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced (I cut mine into chunks)
desired salad dressing (I used mayo)
salad greens, bite-size pieces (I made a bed of lettuce leaves)
pitted black and green olives (I sliced black olives)

Mix cheese, tuna, garlic, eggs, potatoes and salad dressing.  Arrange salad greens on a platter.  Pile salad in center and garnish with olives.

Comment:  This recipe is from a 1974 edition of a booklet "From Switzerland the Natural Cheese Country - Cheese Salads."  When I decided to give this recipe a try I wasn't sure about the taste the tuna might add.  Turns out that even though I used 2 drained cans, it doesn't have a strong tuna taste.  There is a taste that comes from the combination of the tuna, eggs and potatoes but it isn't what I expected.  Don't get me wrong.  This dish is delicious.  It's one I will be making again and again.  The point I'm trying to get across is that if you don't care that much for the tuna taste you don't have to worry... it isn't there.  Not only is this dish delicious it's also pretty.  I didn't use the green olives but have no doubt that they would have been a great addition.  When I added the mayo I had the thought of using Ranch Dressing but it was too late.  I think a little chopped dill would be another good addition.  This dish is one that you can simply play with as you Think With Your Taste Buds.

Comments from Food Tester Carol:  This is a very mild dish based on Martha's potato salad recipe.  There are members of my family who will not eat tuna but who love this dish because the briny flavor of the tuna seems neutralized and brings a "something extra" to the potato salad.  It is similar to what happens in a tuna melt:  the tuna merges with the other ingredients and somehow enhances them.  This is what happens in this magic recipe!

Tuna Mac and Cheese

8 oz. sea shell pasta
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 cups shredded cheese
2 cans (4.5 oz.) Tuna
French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook shells according to package directions.  Drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and both cans of tuna.   Stir to mix.  In a sauce pan melt butter/margarine.  Add onions and cook until tender but not brown.  Stir in flour and pepper.  Add milk and water all at once.  Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly.  Pour over shell mixture.  Stir.  Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has melted.  Top with French fried onions.  Bake another 3-4 minutes.  Serves 6.

Comment:  I've made Chicken Mac and Cheese so why not Tuna.  I used my basic recipe for mac and cheese simply adding the tuna and sprinkling the top with the French fried onions.  This turned out delicious.  I would suggest using tuna firmly packed in water and not oil to give you the delicious tuna taste.  For changes you could add a 1/4 cup of chopped bell pepper to the onions, change the cheese to a sharper blend or maybe add a little Old Bay for an extra kick.  I used the evaporated milk for its richness but that can be changed to milk of your choice. 

Food Tester Carol:  I always feel that the briny taste of any seafood wakes me up , makes me more alert!  This dish puts sea shells on the map in triple force.  Here's why:  The briny taste of the tuna has a particular sharpness that just asks to be noticed.  What can match that but none other than broccoli which is there not because it's a vegetable but another sharp flavor.  Partner those two with the sharpness of Colby-Cheddar and you have a dish that is so perfectly balanced but tasting like triple energy!  Take care what you serve with it.  Choose something equally lively.