Not Your Mother's Tuna Salad

When I was in the south of France this past summer (gosh, I hate how pretentious that sounds, but I think that "when I was on the Côte d'Azur" sounds even worse), I enjoyed many a fine meal chez Stéphanie. Her parents are fabulous cooks who use ingredients of exceptional quality--many of which come from their own kitchen garden. They even press their own olive oil, for crying out loud! Anyway, one day when Maman et Papou were not around, Stéphanie made brunch. While I was thoroughly impressed by all of Maman's creations, they were just a little too advanced for me to recreate with my novice skills. But Stéphanie's brunch was so easy that it almost doesn't count as a "recipe." Below is my version of it.

Ingredients

• 2 medium ripe yet firm tomatoes (plum, roma, or beefsteak if you can find a non-mealy beefsteak tomato that actually tastes like a tomato--good luck with that)
• 1 6.5 oz can unsalted tongol tuna in water (drained)
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped shallot (if you can't find shallots, sub a nice red onion)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• A few dollops (hate that word) of creamy goat cheese
  
• Fresh parsley or rosemary sprigs for garnish (you are eating raw shallot, so you might prefer the parsley to help freshen your breath--sorry, but that's the dancer in me talking)
  

Instructions

Cut tomatoes in half and remove and discard seeds. In a nonreactive (e.g. ceramic) bowl, stir drained tuna with a fork to break apart the chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped shallot. Add balsamic vinegar and stir to coat tuna evenly and break apart any remaining chunks to achieve a smoother texture. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in extra virgin olive oil. Spoon mixture evenly into tomato halves. Garnish with goat cheese and fresh parsley or rosemary. Serve with pieces of a fresh baguette and a simple salad.

This is not your mother's tuna salad, is it?

Oh, and please indulge me for a moment, as I am on a one-woman mission to promote the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur) region of France to all the people who go to France only to stay in Paris. Here's a little video I shot from the Medieval village of Le Castellet, from which we had a lovely view. Ah, memories. . .

Linguine con cozze (finalmente!)

Well, it's that time of the semester again. . . Finals and paper deadlines are barreling toward me from all directions, so I've been hiding out in the kitchen. I call it "productive procrastination." I've been wanting to make linguine con cozze (linguine with mussels) for quite some time, and what better time to do so than during the exam cram study period?

A couple of days ago I walked by the seafood counter at my neighborhood supermarket. I'd never seen mussels there before, but I do, I do, I do believe in fairies, so I check periodically to see if this particular supermarket has come round. This time I saw what I thought was a mirage: a small sign reading "We have mussels, $4.45 per lb." Holy mackerel! Not only do they have mussels, but I can afford them! I asked the man behind the counter if he really had some baby blues, and he smiled and said yes. So I marched home triumphantly with a pound of Johnny's Blues.


I have been enjoying the Moules Marinières at Les Halles and Bistrot du Coin for a couple of years now, but this was my first time cooking the mussels myself. I was largely ignorant of the care and preparation required, so I relied on this helpful guide. I stored my mussels in the fridge overnight (in two brown paper bags, slightly open with a damp paper towel inside). I do not recommend this, though, as it seems best to use your mussels when you get home from the market!

When I opened the mesh sack into a sink full of cold water, my fear of molluscs kicked into high gear. Despite my wearing latex gloves, it took me more than ten minutes to get comfortable touching the mussels! Then it took several more minutes for me to get comfortable holding them. Finally I was able to hold them and scrub them clean with a spare toothbrush. The debearding (see the guide) was the worst part--some of the beards were so stubborn that I gave up and threw those mussels away (I was afraid I'd kill them if I kept struggling with the beards). It's important not to kill the mussels before cooking them, because they become very toxic shortly after their death. Yikes! I left the cleaned, debearded mussels in a bowl of cold water while I prepared the rest of the ingredients.

Once I'd cleaned the mussels, the rest was easy. Here is my recipe for linguine with mussels.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cleaned, debearded blue mussels (throw away any that do not close completely when touched--they are dead)
• 1/2 c dry white wine (taste it to make sure it really is dry)
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp chili flakes (honestly I think I could do without the chili, but I suppose it is "authentic")
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained (of course it's better to use fresh tomatoes if you can find good ones, but I keep finding mealy, bland ones here in town)
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (this it what makes the dish, so don't even think of using the dried stuff!)
  
• 1 pound linguine (or spaghetti or spaghettini)
• Water and salt for cooking pasta

Instructions

Put wine and halved garlic clove into a large pot, and place one layer of mussels in the pot. Do not crowd the mussels or put any on top of each other. Cover the pot and let the mussels simmer until the shells open. Remove the mussels as their shells open, adding any remaining mussels in their place. Remember to remove the mussels as soon as they open and place them in a dish. Save the wine for the pasta sauce. Allow the mussels to cool. Shuck and chop the majority of the mussels, leaving a few in their shells for garnish.

In another large pot, bring salted water to the boil for the pasta. Add pasta. In yet another large pot, heat olive oil and butter. Add garlic and chili flakes and sautee (do not let the garlic brown!). Add the wine used to cook the mussels to the pot and reduce it. When the wine is reduced, add the diced tomatoes, the chopped mussels, and the parsley, stirring gently. When pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce, tossing it lightly to coat it and heat it evenly.

Serve with a few mussels in the shell for decoration.



And by the way, if you had to buy a bunch of parsley, you obviously will have some left over. Try adding a bit of fresh parsley to your salads (you do eat a salad every day, don't you?).