The Heirloom Pan: Tuna Salad with Cranberries

Monday, October 26, 2009

Tuna Salad with Cranberries

Nothing prompts retrospection like a good meal. Reflection: I generally like to think about all the great elements of the meal that worked so well together. Critical Analysis: Then, I think about how I could have improved the overall dining experience. Conclusion: In an effort to savor the moment, I might sit in solitude or listen to some soulful music.

As a matter of fact, I've been conditioned and instantly salivate when presented with such memory inducing foods. Tuna salad usually does not fall into this category. However, I had an urge to make a gourmet tuna salad while at work food running over weekend. This was prompted by our chicken salad sandwich at Factory that is made with chunks of chicken, slivered almonds, green onions, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and served on brioche bread. I've never tried it due to my dietary restrictions but I have ALWAYS been intrigued by the almonds. Afterall, I'm a texture guy and I love crunch.

A great sandwich begins and ends with the bread. Please DO NOT use light bread. I am not above eating it but I understand why so many people think it's disgusting. I usually go for a crusty French bread, but I also have a love obsession with focaccia that will always overshadow other breads. It's so herbal! Today, I decided to go with focaccia. I also decided bean sprouts would be appropriate and some nice green leaf lettuce. For the tuna salad, I went to the always reliable www.allrecipes.com. There was something about the Tuna Salad with Cranberries that won me over. I modified the recipe and used the ingredients I had on hand. It's so easy! No eggs and very little mayonnaise.

Tuna Salad with Cranberries
Ingredients:
-2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna packed in water, drained
-2 tablespoons wasabi mayonnaise (Trader Joe's)
-1 tablespoon fresh dill weed*
-3 tablespoons dried cranberries**

Place the tuna in a bowl and mash with a fork. Mix in mayonnaise to evenly coat tuna. Mix in dill and cranberries. Enjoy on focaccia bread with bean sprouts and green leaf lettuce.

*If using dried dill, use 1/3 teaspoon
**I used orange flavored dried cranberries that I found at Trader Joe's. They are quite scrumptious.

I had the tuna salad with homemade cucumber salad and a wine pairing of Orvieto Classico Ruffino. Absolutely delicious! I highly recommend this wine to lovers of white. I usually drink red but reds do not pair well with spicy food (i.e. wasabi mayonnaise). The wine has good body with an aftertaste reminiscent of citrus fruits.

Possible additions to the tuna salad: chopped pecans and chopped celery.

Dessert: Yogurt covered pretzels

Soundtrack: Fantasia, Free Yourself

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More about me...

I grew up in the rolling hills of North Mississippi with four large garden plots directly adjacent to my home. I spent my summers sowing fields, eating fresh, homegrown produce, and steering clear of indigenous reptiles.

My first food memory is shelling purple hull peas with purple-stained fingers at our kitchen table, and most of the early part of my life revolved around food. As a family, we farmed the land. We hunted the woods. We fished the lakes. We raised our own pigs. We foraged the native foods that grew wild around us (such as blackberries, plums, muscadines, and poke salad). Quite naturally, we also did a lot of cooking. So, it's no surprise that I take the Virginia Wolfe approach to life: "one cannot think well, love well, sleep well unless one has dined well."

At age 23, I became pesceterian. Some people tell me, I've lost my southern roots. I find that absurdity pretty funny. I find solace in my buttery, delicious cornbread muffins. As I strive to live healthier and continue to expand my culinary repertoire, I build on the history and traditions that have brought me and sustained me thus far.