The Superhero in Your Pantry

 

You may not know it but there is probably a superhero in your pantry right now. I personally have about eight cans. And yes, they were bought before COVID 19 sent us all scrambling to fill our larders and shelter at home. I am no tuna hoarder! In truth, some of the cans were part of the food stocks my daughter brought home from her college dorm but I do always keep plenty of canned tuna on hand. 

Here are a bunch of things you can make right now, that don’t require much weighing or measuring, can be made in under 30 minutes, and may even surprise you. In my opinion, good quality solid white tuna is best for all of these, but that is a personal preference. You may in some instances want to splurge on expensive Italian canned tuna, but that may not be something you have on hand at the moment. Like anything else, the quality of your ingredients matters even if you’re just throwing together a tuna plain sandwich on squishy white bread.

1. Semi-fancy tuna spread:

    Fit for company

   • In a food processor put, 1 can of drained tuna, pulse until pretty well broken up. Add 2 TBL of softened butter and 1 TBL of good olive oil. Pulse until you have a chunky paste. Add 1 TBL of capers, pitted olives, or a tsp of anchovy paste and pulse a few more times. If you have fresh dill, parsley, or basil, one of those would be a nice addition, added with the capers. Serve with a good baguette, crackers, or a toasted bagel. If you are serving this for the company you may have over sometime next year, put into a low bowl, and drizzle some olive oil on top, and sprinkle on some coarse sea salt.

2. Another fancy tuna spread: 

   • In a food processor put, 1 can of drained tuna, pulse until pretty well broken up. Add 2 TBL of softened butter and 1 TBL of good olive oil. Pulse until you have a chunky paste. Add to that 1 can of drained artichoke hearts, and some grated lemon peel and juice from the lemon that’s starting to look like you bought it for Seder dinner and keep forgetting about until it rolls to the front of the produce bin. Serve on those nice crackers you’ve been saving for the company you can’t invite over.

3. One more tuna spread: 

   Because you can’t have too many good tuna spreads

   • In a food processor put 1 can of drained tuna, pulse until pretty well broken up. Add 2 TBL of softened butter and 1 TBL of good olive oil and 2 cloves of peeled garlic. Pulse until you have a chunky paste. Add 1 can of drained (not rinsed) Canellinni beans. Continue to pulse until spread is smooth adding a little water if needed. White beans are best, but any kind will do. Other beans will taste fine, but black beans would make this look weird.  

4. Tuna/macaroni salad:

    Great for a stay home, or take to the beach picnic.

   • Cook, and drain 1 box macaroni as you would for any macaroni salad. Mix in 1 can of tuna, broken up with a fork. To that add 2 hard-boiled eggs, grated (you can thank me later), some chopped red onion, or scallions, a chopped pepper (any color), and 1 TBL of your favorite mustard, and about 1/4 cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream. If you don’t have sour cream because you only shop every six weeks or so and keep forgetting to add it to your list, just skip that and add more mayo. If unlike me, you haven’t forgotten to buy fresh parley you can chop some of that up and toss it in. You will need generous amounts of salt and pepper.

5. Tuna nachos: 

   Hear me out. Think of this a tuna melt on tortilla chips, great for a fun lunch, or watching some sporting event that no one can attend right now. This is also great melted on Triscuits. 

   • Take a parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet and cover it with a generous layer of tortilla chips. I’d use just regular alter chips rather than flavored, but hey, you do you. Drain a can of tuna (1 for a crowd and depending on the size of your platter) and break it up with a fork. Sprinkle the tuna all over the chips. Follow that with a generous amount of salsa, some cubed avocado if the ones you bought last week are finally ripe, sliced olives, any kind of peppers you have, bell, jalapeno, whatever… and copious amounts of shredded cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and brown, about 3-5 minutes. If you’re feeling confident, slide the whole mess from the parchment onto that beautiful platter you never use anymore.

6. Tuna mac-n-cheese:

   Because even your kids are bored with plain mac-n-cheese.

   • If you make your own mac-n-cheese then switch up the cheese, smoked Gouda or cheddar would be great here. Break up the tuna and put it into the colander you’re going to use for the pasta, along with some frozen peas. Mix that with the cheese sauce you’ve made. Top with a butter/breadcrumb/parmesan mix and bake until bubbling and golden brown. If you used boxed mac-n-cheese I’m not judging. I grew up eating the stuff.

7. Tuna/artichoke/peas or whatever, pasta dinner

   This is one of my go-to dinners when we get home late and we’re starving. If you use capellini you can have this on the table in under ten minutes. Our favorite is farfalle with tuna, artichoke hearts, capers lots of olive oil, and parmesan. Pesto would be great with this, and the cold leftovers are terrific!

Of course, a plain tuna sandwich or a tuna melt (don’t skimp on the butter) are both a great use of that superhero in your pantry as well. Add some crushed potato chips to your sandwich, or capers, or use any of the tuna spreads.