Recipe: Tuna Mornay

This is one of those meals that I just cannot make look as appealing as it tastes. But it's warm and filling, it's cheap and tasty and it really doesn't take that long to cook. Most importantly it's the kind of meal you can usually throw together from what's in your cupboard when it's the end of the pay cycle. It also freezes very well for next day/leftover day meals.

Props to the boy for this variation on the recipe as it kicked the hell out of mine.



Tuna Mornay

1 medium sized brown onion
1 stick celery
450g tin of tuna
1 cup milk
50g butter
2 tbspn plain flour
1 tbsp seeded mustard
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup shredded cheese

2 cups dried pasta
water for boiling
pinch of salt

Lemon juice or wedges to serve
Additional cheese to taste

Method

• Put the pasta on to boil with a pinch of salt.


• Dice the onions, I find this meal is best with chunky style onion strips throughout the sauce for texture.


• Fry in a very lightly oiled pan on medium heat until sweated. Owing to the white sauce component a non stick high walled saucepan is best.


• Dice the celery thinly and add to the pot. Fry until the celery is transparent.


• Turn the pan to low heat and add the butter, stirring until melted.


• Add the flour and stir thoroughly, ensuring that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. The mixture will become quite solid and almost dough like.


• In alternating small amounts add the milk and the stock, stirring slowly and carefully until all the liquid is in the mixture and it has a sauce like consistency.


• Drain the tuna and add to the pot, stir well and then add the mustard.


• Once thoroughly combined add the shredded cheese and let to simmer while the pasta boils. Ensure you stir regularly to avoid the sauce sticking.


• Drain the pasta and serve into bowls with the sauce. The recipe serves around 4 people.


• Top with shredded cheese and a lemon wedge or splash of lemon juice.


• As I'm quite lactose intolerant I make a varation on this recipe by using the oil from the tinned tuna instead of butter and using soy milk in place of cow juice. The taste is almost identical and recommended for those trying to drop cholestorol or have problems with dairy. Guests generally fail to notice that I have used soy.


• For a less tart variation omit the mustard and lemon juice and add a cup full of sweet corn.