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Cook the Book: Tuna Tartine

Posted by Michele Humes, February 18, 2009 at 2:15 PM

As much as I love tuna, I've always dreaded the classic tuna salad, gloopy with mayo or Miracle Whip. Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond's open-face tuna salad sandwich couldn't be more different.

Dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, and studded with olives, chopped egg, white beans, and pine nuts, it's like a simplified niçoise salad. In keeping with the Almost Meatless philosophy, the salad contains so many other goodies that you really don't need to use much tuna.

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Tuna Tartine

- serves 4 to 6 -

Adapted from Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond.

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) can tuna packed in water, drained
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 hard-boiled egg, cooled and chopped
1/4 cup pitted niçoise or picholine olives, chopped
1 tomato, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup dried white beans, cooked, or about 1/3 (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons minced red onion 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Butter for toast (optional)
Crusty French bread (boule or baguette), sliced 1/2 inch thick, toasted

Procedure

1. In a bowl, combine the tuna, pine nuts, egg, olives, tomato, beans, celery, onion, and parsley.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, sugar, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the oil until a smooth emulsion forms. Pour the vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and toss gently to coat.

3. Butter each piece of toast if you wish and top with a few heaping spoonfuls of tuna salad.

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Tags: Almost Meatless, canned tuna, Cook the Book, Joy Manning, Tara Mataraza Desmond, tuna, tuna salad