Tuna Italiano Recipes

ITALIAN TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the lemon juice, capers and Dijon mustard in a large bowl. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the beans to the dressing and mash gently with a spoon. Add the tuna, flaking it with a fork into bite-size pieces. Toss lightly to coat. Top the tuna mixture with the arugula, treviso, endive, shaved fennel, parsley leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using your hands, toss the salad together, bringing the dressing up from the bottom of the bowl until everything is coated evenly.

TUNA ITALIANO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic in oil until golden. Stir in onion and water and cook until onion is soft. Stir in the tuna with its oil, olives, beans, garlic salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer while pasta is cooking.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss pasta with tuna mixture, top with Romano and serve.

ITALIAN TUNA BALLS

Steps:

• Flake the tuna into a bowl, then tip in the pine nuts, lemon zest, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg. Season and mix together with your hands until completely combined. Roll the mix into 12 walnut-size balls. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil, then cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions.
• Heat a little of the tuna oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the tuna balls for 5 mins, turning every minute or so until completely golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Heat the tomato sauce, then toss together with the pasta and tuna balls.

TUNA SALAD ITALIANO

Steps:

• In 4-quart saucepan, cook pasta as directed on package, adding potatoes and frozen green beans during last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking time; cook until vegetables and pasta are tender. Drain.
• In large bowl, gently toss cooked pasta, potatoes and green beans with oil. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Stir in tuna, tomato and onions. Pour dressing over salad; stir gently to coat. Top with hard-cooked eggs.

ITALIAN-STYLE TUNA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the salsa verde: Whiz parsley leaves and 1/2 cup oil in a food processor or blender to a pesto-like consistency, then transfer to a small bowl. (Alternatively, chop parsley by hand and combine with oil.) Add garlic, chopped olives, anchovies, capers, lemon zest and red pepper to parsley mixture and stir well. Season with salt if necessary and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Thin with more oil as desired.
• Cut baguette crosswise into 4 equal pieces, then split each lengthwise with a serrated knife. (If using rolls, split each lengthwise.) For each sandwich, lay bread flat, crust side down. Spread cut sides with 2 tablespoons salsa verde. Put a few lettuce leaves on 1 piece of bread and arrange 2 ounces of tuna over lettuce. Top tuna with 1 egg, quartered. Season egg lightly with salt and pepper. Add sliced serrano chile, if using. Drizzle with a little more salsa verde, then press sandwich closed.

TUNA ITALIAN

Steps:

• Cook onion until tender but not brown.
• Add soup, milk, and cheese.
• Heat and stir.
• Break tuna in chunks and add to remaining ingredients.
• Pour into 2 quart casserole dish.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

TUNA ITALIANO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions (I find that 12 minutes is perfect, especially when using them in a casserole where there will be additional cooking).
• While the noodles are cooking, heat butter in medium frying pan and cook onions until tender but not brown.
• (Butter gives the recipe more taste but a non-stick spray can be used in place of butter. I don't recommend margarine- it doesn't melt properly.).
• Add soup, milk and cheese; heat and stir.
• Add tuna, mushrooms, olives, parsley and lemon juice.
• Stir well and heat through.
• Stir 1/2 of the cooked noodles into the tuna mixture. Mix well. Add more or all of the noodles as desired (the more noodles, the thicker the casserole consistency).
• Pour mixture into 2 qt casserole dish.
• (If doubling the recipe, use a 9"x13" pan.).
• Sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese and the paprika.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• (Watch that noodles don't burn-- may need to cook only 20 minutes depending on your oven).
• Before removing from oven, sprinkle top with onion rings and bake an additional 5 minutes.
• Watch that the onion rings don't burn.

ITALIAN-AMERICAN STYLE TUNA MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• In a large bowl, combine the anchovy paste with extra-virgin olive oil. Add the olives, onions, celery, tuna, lemon juice and pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Lightly butter each side of the rolls, and toast on each side under the broiler. Fill the rolls with the tuna salad and top with cheese. Arrange on a sheet pan and broil until the cheese melts. Transfer to serving plates and serve.

ITALIAN TUNA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place the spinach on a plate and microwave it for 6 minutes on high to defrost it. Place it in a clean kitchen towel and wring it dry, then reserve.
• While the spinach is defrosting, get a large pot of water on the stove for the pasta. Bring to a boil, then salt the water liberally and cook the shells to al dente.
• While the pasta works, heat a deep, large skillet over medium heat. Add the EVOO, then melt the butter into the oil. When the butter melts, add the onions and garlic and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour around the pan and cook for a minute, then whisk in the wine-it will cook off and the mixture will thicken almost immediately. Whisk in the stock, then whisk in the milk and bring it to a bubble. Reduce the heat a bit. Season the sauce with the nutmeg, hot sauce, and mustard, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken, then add the spinach, separating it as you add it to the sauce.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Back to the sauce: add the tuna, flaking it as you go, then stir to combine. Heat the spinach and tuna through for a minute or so. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Transfer the tuna to a casserole dish and cover it with the Parm or Romano. Place the casserole under the broiler for 2 minutes to brown the edges and the cheese. Top with the parsley and serve.

ITALIAN-STYLE TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper together for the dressing.
• Mix bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, tuna, olives, and capers together gently. Pour dressing on top and serve.

SPAGHETTI WITH ITALIAN TUNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about six minutes.
• While the spaghetti is cooking, put the tuna and its oil in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, olives and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Drain spaghetti, reserving a couple of tablespoons of cooking water. Transfer spaghetti to a bowl. Fold in tuna mixture, adding the reserved cooking water if needed to thin sauce. Season with pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

ITALIAN TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Add dressing and toss to coat. Fold in tuna. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.