I wanted a vegetable meal and had all the ingredients already in the fridge, and as I love tuna and wanted some vegetables with it, I decided on a tuna and baby spinach mornay pie with a celery and potato mash.
I added lemon juice to the tuna which gave it a distinct, pleasant and rather different taste.
Not too difficult to make, and you could hide extra vegetables in it if required.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 5 servings
Ingredients
425 g tuna in brine, drained
50 g butter
¼ cup plain flour
1 ¾ cups milk
1 medium shallot, sliced thinly
160 g baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
For the celery mash
400 g potatoes, peeled
300 g celery
50 g parsley stalks
2 tbsp milk
20 - 30 g butter
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Method
For the celery mash
Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain.
Boil the celery and parsley stalks until they are cooked. Drain.
Blend the two together - I used a Bamix (stick blender).
Add the milk and butter until it is a smooth, thick mixture - do not add all the milk at once in case it becomes too runny.
Stir in the parmesan cheese, and then cover it to keep it warm.
For the tuna and spinach
Melt the 50 g of butter in a large frypan and cook the shallot for about 5 minutes or until it is soft.
Add the flour and cook, stirring until it thickens. Slowly add the milk, stirring until it boils and thickens.
Remove it from the heat and stir in the baby spinach, broken up tuna, and the lemon juice.
Preheat the grill in the oven.
Put the tuna mixture into an oiled oven proof dish (I used Corning Ware) -about a 6 cup dish.
Top with the mash, add a bit of extra grated cheese and grill until it is lightly browned.
Alternatively you could bake it in the oven however not too long or the spinach will give off too much liquid.
Serve with a side salad or other vegetables.
Categories
#Family
#Dinner
#Lunch
#Healthy
#Tuna
#Potato
#Celery
#Spinach