While getting caught up on my e-mail, I came across one (from Tori Avey) with the following “Subject:” line:
“No Passport Required: Travel-Inspired Recipes”
and I just had to find out where those “travel-inspired recipes” would take me. [The importance of a good “Subject:” line!] While scrolling through Tori’s e-mail message, I found recipes from:
- the island of Capri in the Campania region of South Italy;
- Jaffa (wherever that is!);
- North Africa (a Moroccan-inspired recipe); and
- Japan/Oahu.
Of all the recipes that Tori shared in her e-mail message, the one I was most inspired by was the one from the island of Capri, so I thought I’d transcribe it here, so we can have easy access to it all summer long!
“tuna salad caprese
A tuna salad inspired by the island of Capri in the Campania region of South Italy. Tuna, fresh basil, tomatoes, cannelini beans, olive oil.
Ingredients
- 5-6 ounces good quality tuna packed in olive oil (1 can)
- 1/4 cup cannelini beans drained (canned or cooked)
- 4-5 leaves fresh basil, torn
- 1 sweet vine ripened tomato, sliced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Use the freshest ingredients possible. The simplicity of this dish relies on ripe, quality ingredients to give it flavor. Buy your tomatoes and basil from the farmer’s market or harvest it from your garden. [The latter is what I’ll do once I get my basil growing!] The tomatoes are particularly important — they need to be ripe and perfectly sweet… Use a good quality olive oil if possible.
- Drain the excess oil off the tuna and flake it into a salad bowl. Scatter the beans, fresh basil and tomato over the top of the tuna. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and season with salt to taste. Serve.
I only have one question about the recipe: If you’re just going to drain the olive oil out of the can of tuna that’s packed in olive oil and then add more olive oil later, why can’t you just use a can of tuna that’s packed in water instead?
Anyway… Bon appetit!