Some nights- you know, those ones at the end of a long week when it’s cold out and you just want to hole up until morning watching a movie under a blanket until it’s time for bed- there is nothing better than looking in your cupboards and fridge and finding everything you’d need to put together a really satisfying dinner. Especially when it turns out to be unexpectedly delicious.
These days I am not huge fan of mayonnaise and was looking for an alternative to bind everything together in the salad. And I remembered the white bean puree I had made last week for the some endive appetizers. This kind of meal is not super-inspired but it is a slight modification on some pretty common combinations. Like tune and white beans…you see these two hanging out in recipes together all the time. Google and see for yourself.
So that’s how this meal was born…I wanted something like a tuna Lorenzo but didn’t want to go to the store. Tuna salad usually has something crunchy in it, right? I chose pine nuts and radicchio. There’s usually some kind of bite as well, so that also was served by the radicchio and then the onions. The puree held it all together and as an extra bonus we got some smoky spice with the chipotle. Go through your fridge and pantry and see what you’ve got. Odds are, it’ll work out.
I tasted this salad after it was all mixed together and it was pretty bitter. Raw radicchio will do that to a dish, I suppose. I was a little concerned that the initial tastes would portend a massive fail on the whole thing, but once assembled I was reminded that there are two absolute truths:
1. cheese makes everything better; and
Either that, or the quick broil took the edge off the radicchio as part of the magic of the cooking process. In any case, I was glad that there were leftovers because this makes a great lunch the next day.
Tuna Salad Tartines
White Bean Puree
Prepare white bean puree first. In a food processor, puree white beans until uniformly choppy. Add in cilantro leaves and continue to puree until blended and more smooth. Add salsa and salt and pepper to taste, continuing to puree so that end product is mixed well.
Next prepare the tuna salad. In a medium bowl, mix together tuna, pine nuts, radicchio, onions, and white bean puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Toast sourdough lightly. Place toasts on cookie sheet and turn broiler on. Spoon several scoops of the tuna salad onto the bread and grate manchego over the top. Broil for several minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
