Friday, July 29, 2011

My Lazy Tuna Mornay



I did not know what to cook for dinner on Wednesday night. I flicked through recipe books, looked in the fridge and then freezer and then pantry and still had no idea. Then I looked up at the top shelf and saw a lonely can of tuna in spring water and thought aha I could make that Tuna Mornay. Canned tuna is so versatile. It is so handy to have a can or two in your pantry.
Some recipes call for onion infused milk but I was too lazy. You can use that if you like – just sit your sliced onion in hot milk with black pepper corn.
I just drained the tuna – save about 2 tablespoons then I diced the onion and fried it in butter until just soft. Then I added flour and made béchamel sauce with milk, reserved tuna liquid and grated cheese, seasoned with stock powder (do not be afraid to use it – even Marco Pierre White uses stock cube in his sauce), salt & pepper and a bit of chilli sauce. I mixed this sauce with tuna and divided the mixture equally in a couple of 10cm ramekins.
For topping I used wholemeal breadcrumbs mixed with more grated cheese, cubed butter, salt, pepper & chilli powder. I baked them at 180 degrees (C) for 15 minutes and grill the top until golden brown and crispy. And the meal was ready in just a little bit over half an hour (including cooking time). It is a comfort food but you can also have green salad on the side for a complete meal.
For the above you will need the following ingredients.
1 185 gram can of tuna in spring water, drained and flaked (reserve 2 tablespoons of liquid for the sauce)
½ onion chopped
3 tablespoons of butter (plus 1 table spoon, cubed for topping)
3 tablespoons flour
¾ cup milk, you can add more if the sauce is too thick
½ cup grated cheddar (plus 2 table spoons for topping)
Chilli powder (sparingly)
A dash of Sri Racha Sauce or Tabasco
Salt & pepper to taste
Stock powder (optional)

No comments:

Post a Comment