"From Fishing to Farmers Markets" ....news & events, issues & ideas

Saturday, March 07, 2009

 
Tuna Noodle Casserole- Part 2

There are a gazillion tuna noodle casserole recipes. Here is a start online:

1. Cooks Illustrated: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,178,141187-243199,00.html
2. Gourmet 2004: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tuna-Noodle-Casserole-109434
3. Skillet version: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_tuna_casserole.html
4. Healthy & Fit version: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/taste-tests/hungry-girl/tuna-noodle-casserole-a-healthier-recipe/
5. Whole Wheat Noodle version: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=210256

And then the Lopez locavore recipe below:

All ingredients are found within a 100 mile radius of Lopez Island except for the tuna which is caught about 200 miles off the coast of Oregon. The organic whole wheat pastry flour is milled by Bluebird Grain Farms near Twisp, WA. which also might be on the outer perimeter of my 100 miles. I purchase it from our local Blossom Organic Grocery and use it to bake bread and make noodles. The onion, garlic, dill and parsley we grow in our garden or find at the farmers market here. I buy local chickens from Blossom Grocery and make chicken stock which is used in the soup portion. No one on Lopez sells raw milk which calls for a trip to Blossom for "local" organic milk from the Skagit County area. As for the mushrooms, well no one will fess up to where they really found morels or chantrelles. Frozen for use when not in season, they work just fine in a casserole. That leaves the salt, pepper, and sherry as non-indigenous ingredients. I could delete the sherry, scrape the salt off our southern facing windows and grind up one of our few, meager, hot chiles, and voila'. That's going to the locovore limit. But this is just a test, so let's not go overboard.

Lopez Tuna Noodle Casserole

1- 6 oz. can of Papa George Tuna
1- cup chicken stock
1/2- cup chopped wild morels or chantrelles
1- Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1- cup whole organic milk
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. chopped parsley...double amount if fresh
1 tsp. dill weed...double amount if fresh
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
6 oz of homemade whole wheat noodles, cooked (about 3 cups)

Topping:

1 1/2- cups of breadcrumbs...from the homemade bread of course
1/4- cup of organic butter melted

Directions:

1. Cook the noodles until al dente. Drain and put aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, saute the onion and garlic on med-low in a Tb. of butter
3. Add the flour next and make a roux.
4. Gradually add the chicken broth and the milk. Stir and warm up.
5. Heat until the broth mixture is thickened, but do not boil. You can use home grown cooked potato instead of flour to thicken the broth.
6. Take saucepan off heat. Stir in thawed out mushrooms, add herbs and spices. Some folks add peas too.
7. Put noodles in a greased casserole dish or an 8x8x2 1/2 pan.
Pour the thick soup mixture over the noodles.
8. Make buttered breadcrumbs and sprinkle them over the top.
9. Bake at 350. Check at 30 minutes: if breadcrumbs are browning too fast, cover lightly with a small cookie sheet for another 10-15 min.
10. Let it rest out of the oven awhile before serving.

Slow Food Land and Sea

Our local Slow Food Convivium is in San Juan County, in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Papa George Tuna is a member of Slow Food USA and our convivium for this area has a blog which lists local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. My husband is not fishing locally however because there isn't much to fish for in Washington now.

- posted by Holly @ 2:22 PM