Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Tuscan White Bean Tuna Spread!!



I don't know about you, but my fantasy teams are killing me. I'm full of angst every Sunday morning making the decision of who to play and who to sit. I worry more about them than my own real football team - who I really should be worried about at this stage! But at least I can control who the players are with my fantasy team! My real team, not so much! Oh well, that's all part of the fun of the season!

While I'm angst-ridden about fantasy football, there's something comforting about a good spread on a cracker or a piece of toast. That will take my mind off how many points my wide receiver did or didn't get. Out of everything that gets wolfed down on gameday, spreads always go fast. It's almost mandatory to have them for the games. Gotta do it. And they are so simple to prepare because they're all done in the food processor.



 I came across this recipe for Tuscan Tuna Spread when I was in culinary school. We were working with the robot-coupe (commercial food processor) and I was loving how you could turn pretty much anything in a tasty spread or pate with it. Our assignment was to develop a spread using Tuscan white beans and tuna. We were all allowed to go off on a culinary tangent using various ingredients, as long as we included the white beans and tuna. I came up with this version and it's served me well over the years.

My spread consists of (besides the white beans and tuna) red onion, fresh rosemary, a small clove of garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and black pepper. It all goes into the food processor and the magic happens. Try to let this sit a couple of hours before serving because it'll have a little time for the flavors to develop. The spread can be served on crackers or you can use a baguette, cut it into thin slices and toast them in the oven until crispy.

Tuscan White Bean Tuna Spread
(serves 4-6)

1 can of tuna (any kind you like in either water or oil), drained
10 oz can of Canellini Beans (or any white beans that you like) - drained and rinsed
1/4 small red onion
1 tbs fresh rosemary leaves
1 very small clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (or less) light flavored olive oil
salt & black pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Slice the baguette into thin rounds and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the bread becomes slightly golden in color.

2.  In the food processor, add the onion, garlic and rosemary and pulse until they are all finely minced.

3.  Add the tuna and beans. With the processor running, add the red wine vinegar and drizzle the oil in a little at a time until the mixture begins to resemble a spread. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off processor and spoon spread into a small bowl.

4.  Serve with the baquette toasts.



Enjoy!

There you have it! This is an easy one, so I hope you try it! And I also hope your fantasy teams are doing better than mine  -  unless you happen to be playing against me!

See you back here next week!





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