Pressed Nicoise on Baugette

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is the sandwich version of the salad Nicoise. You can find it in various forms all over the Mediterranean coast where it is made. And you make it ahead of time because in this case a little soggy is the plan.

Ingredients
1/2 loaf crusty French baguette
1 clove garlic, cut in half
4-6 basil leaves
1 (6oz) can Italian tuna packed in oil
3/4 cups Nicoise or Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 jar or can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
1/4 cup blanched French green beans, sliced into thirds (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure
Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the insides of the bottom half to create a trough into which the filling will go. Brush both halves with a little extra virgin olive oil. Rub each with the garlic. Line the half with the trough with the basil leaves. In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olives, red bell pepper, onion, parsley, artichoke hearts and green beans. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the olive oil until it is emulsified. Pour the vinaigrette into the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. When you are ready to assemble; spoon tuna mixture into the trough of the baguette over the basil leaves. Wrap sandwich well in plastic. Crush it down by placing a brick or heavy cast iron skillet and refrigerate, preferably with the weight, overnight. When hungry, cut sandwich in half. It tastes better if you are in France.

Pasta with Tuna, Arugula, and Hot Pepper

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
It's quick, easy, and delicious — pasta with wilted arugula or spinach and a sauce made of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and canned tuna. How can you go wrong?

Ingredients
1 pound dried fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves finely minced
Generous pinch hot red pepper flakes
2 6-ounce cans Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 pound baby arugula

Procedure
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and boil until al dente. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant and sizzling. Add tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat. Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water. Drain pasta and return it to the warm pot set over moderate heat. Depending on the size of your pot and skillet, either add the arugula and the tuna mixture to the pasta in the pasta pot, or add the drained pasta to the skillet with the tuna mixture and add the arugula. Toss vigorously with tongs, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta. Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Tuna Nicoise served in an Heirloom Tomato

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
I love Salad Nicoise, so when I saw a photo of this in one of Martha Stewart’s old cookbooks (which I bought at the KSFR book sale last week) I thought this could work as a Weight Watchers meal.

Here is the idea: Buy a good quality beefsteak or heirloom tomato, maybe at the farmer’s market and carefully hollow out the inside buy using a small paring knife and cutting a circle about 1/4 inch from the outside edge and with a spoon carefully go around and remove the pulp. Save it to make a fresh diced tomato salsa later.

Ingredients for filling
3 boiled fingerling potatoes
5 Nicoise olives
2 ounces blanched green beans
1 hard boiled egg
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 teaspoon capers
3 ounces tuna packed in water

Procedure
Cut up everything quite small and toss it with a little salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon juice then stuff it into the tomato. Serve on a bed of mixed greens. Can you say elegant?

Kabob-O-Rama

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Kabobs are so much fun to make and eat. You can really skewer anything, but you want to be conscious of cooking time so it all finishes at the same time. So sometimes you might want to precook some of the vegetables to make it work better. Here are two great kabob recipes which make great party food.

Cherry Tomato, Ham, and Pineapple Kabobs

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Coleman’s mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 lb cubed nice ham
1 lb pineapple chunks
12 cherry tomatoes

Procedure
Place oil, vinegar, mustard powder, and honey in a bowl and stir 'til well combined. Thread the ham, pineapple and tomato onto skewers. Brush them with marinade. Cook skewers over BBQ for about 10 minutes, turning frequently and baste with extra marinade. Serve over rice and a festive salad. This recipe serves 4.

Tuna Tarragon and Portobello Mushroom Kabobs

Ingredients
10 ounces fresh tuna
1 lb Portobello mushrooms cut into quarters
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
To make marinade, combine wine, tarragon, vinegar, oil, and garlic in large bowl and stir to combine. Cut tuna into 1 inch cubes. Thread tuna and mushrooms onto skewers. Put them into marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate, covered in marinade for at least 30 minutes. Grill on BBQ for about 10 minutes, and continue to baste, turning often. Serve with a nice green bean salad and a slice of lemon.