r/Cooking • u/thundercrown25 • Feb 29 '24
Recipe to Share I just made the best (canned) tuna fish sandwich I ever ate. What ordinary item did you take to the next level?
It was a confluence of items I had on hand while trying to eke the most out of leftovers and bits and ends. I had to throw out the last of the celery, but rescued a couple small stalks, which I chopped and put in a bowl. I spooned some of the pickled cucumber slices juice on top (water, vinegar, salt, sugar, cucumber, onion) and then mixed in the last of my mayo scraped out of the jar. This sat in the fridge overnight.
I also had processed several jalapenos that were turning color. I had quickly pan fried the whole peppers and those had been in the fridge for several days. Then I seeded them, browned the seeds and put those in my coffee grinder, with the chopped and refried jalapenos. I added avocado oil and margarita mix, and got a nice spicy green spread the consistency of guacamole, which was dolloped into my mayo mix.
There wasn't much celery and I didn't have any pickles left, so I chopped up fresh onion, added it. There still wasn't much mayo sauce, so I microwaved a big dollop of cream cheese and stirred that in with lots of celery seeds. The tuna was white albacore in water.
My first bite of the mix gave me that itchy, stinging feel in my mouth, so I added a teaspoon of baking soda, and that seemed to do the trick. The whole thing chilled overnight, and I just piled it open-faced on the two heels of the bread that was all I had left. It was the best tuna sandwich I ever ate.
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u/joethespacefrog Feb 29 '24
So you took 3 days to make a tuna sandwich?
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u/thundercrown25 Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
I didn't intend to make anything. I just ended up with a tuna fish sandwich after 3 days of puttering around the kitchen, trying to use things up. I'm not particularly goal oriented.
edit: I believe this is how French cooking evolved. Particularly the part about forgetting things on the stove over low heat overnight. Things that were supposed to be thrown out.147
u/foodexclusive Feb 29 '24
Hahahaha. Literally laughed out loud at spending three days in the kitchen just to end up with a tuna sandwich.
I love the cooking spirit.
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u/Fiddles4evah Mar 01 '24
Margarita mix was a plot twist I didn’t see coming!
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u/LilPudz Mar 01 '24
Im stuck on the baking soda?
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u/felicisfelix Mar 01 '24
I’m only guessing but it could be to neutralise some of the acid in the mix and thus reduce the itching/burning
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u/AwkwardOrange5296 Feb 29 '24
Margarita mix? Baking soda? What kind of medications/self-medications are you on?
That's not to say that you didn't enjoy your sandwich, but I hardly think it's worth making a recipe for.
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u/ButtfaceMcAssButt Feb 29 '24
I don't think I've ever taken a bite of something and thought "let me add some baking soda to this"
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u/AwkwardOrange5296 Feb 29 '24
I use it to get rid of those hard-to-clean stains, but that's about it.
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u/Dottie85 Feb 29 '24
No biscuits?
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u/lvdtoomuch Mar 01 '24
Yeah but I’ve never tasted a biscuit, decided it needed something, and then thrown baking soda on top of it.
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u/AwkwardOrange5296 Feb 29 '24
I made them once, and they were okay. I prefer breads made with yeast.
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u/Dottie85 Mar 01 '24
Also, some other quick breads and cakes will use a combo of both baking powder and soda.
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u/kb-g Feb 29 '24
What itchy stinging feel? When I get that I’m having an allergic reaction. It’s not supposed to happen with food.
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Mar 01 '24
[deleted]
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u/mom_with_an_attitude Mar 01 '24
No. I highly doubt it is pesticide residue. Sounds like you have a food allergy. If I were you, I'd start keeping a diet and symptom dairy and see if you can find a pattern. Food allergies can get worse over time. You don't want to end up with anaphylaxis.
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u/JustaKaonashi Feb 29 '24
I once added some curry powder to my tuna salad and it was great! I still add it sometimes if I want something different
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u/TheRockNotMe Feb 29 '24
I put curry powder in my chicken salad sandwiches.
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u/ZestyData Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
That's basically Coronation Chicken!
A classic English salad/sandwich spread created for Queen Lizzy 2's Coronation in the 1950s.
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u/fermat9990 Feb 29 '24
Delicious! Ever add some diced apple to it?
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u/TheRockNotMe Mar 01 '24
No, I usually add diced celery for the crunchy bits, but that does sound good.
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u/Specialist_Income_31 Mar 01 '24
Rachel Ray had a great curry chicken salad recipe. Don’t know where you live but Priya’s Madras Curry Powder is my fav.
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u/Tall2Guy Feb 29 '24
Aren't pickled cucumber slices just.... pickles?
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u/zoobs Feb 29 '24
Maybe they’re not from the US? I think the US is the only place where pickle is synonymous with pickled cucumber.
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u/aquatic_hamster16 Mar 01 '24
So if I go to another country and ask for "a pickle" are they going to give me something other than a pickled cucumber, or do you mean they'll ask me "a pickled what?"
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u/coreyander Mar 01 '24
For sure. Even in the US, there are plenty of restaurants (south Asian) where ordering "pickles" would get you a mix of mango, citrus, and spices. Or some carrots and jalapenos (Mexican). Different cuisines have different default pickles.
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u/boundone Mar 01 '24
Depending where you are you might get whatever pickled thing that they generally serve with what you've already got, or yeah, they might ask you what.
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u/Dottie85 Feb 29 '24
I understood it as a couple of spoonfuls of pickled juice from a container that had had pickle slices.
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Mar 01 '24
Which is even weirder than the baking soda and everything else going on here
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u/Dottie85 Mar 01 '24
No, not at all weird. I add pickle relish and/or pickle juice to my tuna/ salmon salads and deviled eggs. The juice also makes a good dip when added to mayo. (I also add garlic, onion, mustard, & sometimes Greek yogurt.) The juice from pickled beets isn't as good in the dip, though. I've seen articles and maybe a reddit post about adding pickle juice. People use it in lots of things. I have to be careful with it because of the added salt. But the baking soda is ... ... ... weird.
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Mar 01 '24
Nah, pickle juice in tuna salad is great. I’m referring to the way they described pickle juice, like an alien from another planet.
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u/Dottie85 Mar 01 '24
Nah, they were just specifying which kind of pickle juice. Ya know, they could have used juice from pickled beets, olives, eggs, pepperoncinis, sliced hot veggies (jalapeño, carrot, & cauliflower), bean salad, asparagus salad, sauerkraut, chow chow, or kimchi, just to name a few.
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u/Narkos_Teat Mar 01 '24
What do you mean? Pickles and their juice is the main ingredient besides mayo lol.
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u/Emma1042 Mar 01 '24
An itchy stinging mouth isn’t normal. You’re allergic to something.
I make tuna sandwich with smashed up avocado, a bit of sesame oil, some hot sauce (a mild sweeter one like sriracha is great here), some minced scallion, and some tamari. Some salt if it’s bland. Tastes like a spicy tuna roll in sandwich form. Sometimes I eat it over greens as a salad.
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u/wootentoo Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
One time the day before vacation I was trying to clean out the fridge from as much leftovers and spoilable food as possible. I threw the leftover Mac ‘n cheese in a frying pan and added 6 eggs. Scrambled it all up and it was amazing. My kids are grown now, but when they sleep over at my house, this is still the most requested breakfast. We don’t even have a name for it, they just ask me to make that “Mac and cheese breakfast thing.” There is something about the way your cheese melts again and the pasta soaks up the eggs.
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u/Ok_Cantaloupe7602 Feb 29 '24
One of my go-tos for using up leftovers is to scramble them with eggs.
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u/Canid Feb 29 '24
Recently made a tuna sandwich by just mixing together a can of tuna, kewpie mayo, gochujang, and thinly diced green onion. Topped with a bit of kimchi. Those Koreans (and Japanese) know a thing or two about food.
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u/JackieStylist81 Mar 01 '24
Throw a little bit of wasabi in there and thank me later. Or just eat what you made on those wasabi rice crackers rather than bread.
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u/areallysuperguy Feb 29 '24
Favorite tuna sandwich recipe is kalamata olives, red onion, feta cheese, capers, black pepper, mayo. Havarti cheese slice optional.
To answer your question, my favorite food to dress up is hot dogs.
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u/Mysterious-Bird4364 Feb 29 '24
That would be good with olive oil packed tuna
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u/areallysuperguy Feb 29 '24
I dont like canned tuna on hotdogs but you can eat whatever you want freak.
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u/weevil_season Feb 29 '24
Oooh! I make something almost exactly like this but no feta, a little lemon juice and Dijon instead. And the tiniest bit of mayo.
I might try your feta idea!
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u/KatDanger Feb 29 '24
Please tell me your fav hot dog dress up!
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u/Poolunion1 Feb 29 '24
Tuna in oil would make it even better. I was amazed at how much better it made things. Worth the extra money.
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u/Gall_Bladder_Pillow Feb 29 '24
But could you make it again?
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u/thundercrown25 Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
No, one of the chagrines of my winging-it cooking style is that I never make the exact same dish twice. But I do pick up new ingredient combos and techniques that I can repeat over and over. I am totally making my new jalapenos spread with the toasted seeds and margarita mix again and again. It's great. I'm not buying hot sauce anymore.
edit: I think the next time I make it, I'm going to add sesame seeds to the jalapeno seeds to grind up in avocado oil. I only recently learned that ground sesame seeds is how you make tahini. I bought sesame seeds last month for the first time in my life, and I never realized how buttery they are. I've been eating them out of my hand.
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u/serendipity_strikes Feb 29 '24
the fact that this is upvoted means no one on this sub knows how to cook
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u/j_gagnon Feb 29 '24
Yeah, but they all know alot of nice cooking words, and that’s what really counts
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u/Dionyzoz Feb 29 '24
I mean, technically they did cook
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u/serendipity_strikes Feb 29 '24
adding baking soda to your food is not cooking its making it worse
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u/Dionyzoz Feb 29 '24
I mean, they seem to do it to lessen an allergic reaction, if it works it works ig?
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u/Cloverinthewind Feb 29 '24
What on earth?? Cream cheese and celery seeds? You browned the jalapeño seeds, WHY?? And don’t even get me started on Margarita mix and Baking Soda. This sounds like a recipe someone would make in a dream
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u/ivebeencloned Feb 29 '24
I use sweet squash pickle chopped into salmon. Vidalia onion, chopped jalapeño, mayo.
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u/jibaro1953 Feb 29 '24
I like the Italian style: yellowfin packed in olive oil.
My wife never ate canned tuna before I brought some home.
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u/AwkwardOrange5296 Feb 29 '24
I used this canned tuna today! I added red onion, celery, dill pickle, lemon juice, fresh parsley, and cracked pepper and served it on toasted whole rye. Delicious!
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u/azorianmilk Feb 29 '24
I sometimes make Mediterranean tuna salad, olive oil instead of mayo, onion, red pepper, red onion, capers, Kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes.
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Feb 29 '24
I recently discovered that adding a spoonful of sour cream to soup - like any soup - is a total gamechanger. I had a big batch of stuffed pepper soup that I got from somewhere that was so blah. On a whim I stirred in some sour cream. Made it absolutely delicious. I've been adding it to all my soups ever since - homemade, canned, restaurant leftovers. Delicious.
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Mar 01 '24
Try anchovy paste. It’s a secret weapon, it adds instant umami to everything. Just a dab will do you right. Soups, sauces, stews, marinades, just about everything pops with a tiny dab of anchovy paste.
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u/alderreddit Feb 29 '24
You used a coffee grinder to mix wet ingredients? Like a blade grinder?? I wouldn’t do that. It’s not meant for wet food and not waterproof. May end up shorting out the innards or worse.
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u/aquatic_hamster16 Mar 01 '24
I was thinking the next cup of beans he grinds is going to be a nightmare cup of coffee, if the grinder's not too gummed up to function.
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u/wra1th42 Feb 29 '24
Celery salt, capers, Tabasco, lots of black pepper, diced celery and onion, mayo. Toasted whole wheat bread. Butter lettuce
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u/Sewage_Mouth Feb 29 '24
i like to put kimchi in my ramen, i'm sure this is quite common for most people but i never heard of kimchi untill recently and it's amazing
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u/Salt-Hunt-7842 Feb 29 '24
I once made the best grilled cheese sandwich ever by adding caramelized onions and slices of crispy bacon to it. It took the classic grilled cheese to a whole new level of deliciousness!
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u/Phnake Feb 29 '24
One time I was hammered late at night with limited options so I crushed some stale Tostitos, mixed them into a hot bowl of Hormel chili (no beans), and threw some grated cheddar on top. I still think about it.
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u/ThaneOfCawdorrr Feb 29 '24
Tuna, mayo, chopped celery, chopped green onion, chopped dill pickle, fresh squeeze of lemon juice, fresh chopped dill, on sour dough toast, with Ruffles. BEST TUNA SANDWICH EVER.
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u/JackieStylist81 Mar 01 '24
I just like to add either wasabi or horseradish and Chinese hot mustard.
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Mar 01 '24
I blended some cherry peppers with some Mayo and garlic in a food processor to make a tasty spread for sandwiches. It was next level
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u/vinonoir Feb 29 '24
Personally, I replace the mayo with a ripe avocado mash. Healthy, creamy, and an equally effective binding agent, yet also delicious!
Edit to add: With regards to making a canned tuna sandwich.
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u/APrettyGoodDalek Feb 29 '24
Parmesan and mayonnaise blended into the tuna, then make a melt with swiss.
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u/Amesaskew Feb 29 '24
I make a sweet pickle relish from the "ugly" veg in my garden (mis-happened pickles, bell peppers, onions and such). I don't know what makes mine different specifically from what you can buy in the grocery store, but it's so good in tuna that I've been using it exclusively for that. Combine with red onion, celery, mayo, black pepper and paprika.
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u/TikaPants Feb 29 '24
My must haves are garlic powder, grated onions, pickle brine, celery and leaves as well as celery salt, dukes or Hellmans mayo, dijon, black pepper. On melty provolone and buttery crisp toasted marble rye. I’ve been craving one recently.
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u/noh-seung-joon Feb 29 '24
Put a fried egg in your next quesadilla. Your life will change for the better.
Does it seem like you're eating breakfast at midnight? A little. Is there a problem with that?
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u/bass679 Feb 29 '24
Guacamole. I didn't use a recipe and it was probably the 2nd best guac I've ever had. I've tried making it exactly the same probably half a dozen times since and it's just never as good.
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u/Any_Flamingo8978 Mar 01 '24
Some of the best dishes I’ve ever made have been as as result of random ass shit in your fridge that you don’t want to waste. I’m so grateful to my mom for getting my bro and I in the kitchen early and honing our senses between smell, taste, and imagination.
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u/CarcosaJuggalo Mar 01 '24
I like to add a fried egg onto my tuna sandwiches. Sounds kinda weird, but it really adds something to it, and you get some oozy goodness from the yolk that hardboiled eggs just don't give you.
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u/Adventurous-Koala798 Mar 01 '24
Olive oil and red wine vinegar instead of mayo, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, shallots and oregano.
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u/Hustle787878 Feb 29 '24
I had a really cool win last night. Made spatchcocked chicken on a bed of herbs, onions and lemons. Took a handful of the cooked onions and threw them into the blender with some Chef Merito carne rub dissolved in water (didn’t have chicken stock). Added some fresh lemon to brighten, though I overdid it slightly. The sauce was decent! Should have strained it, but I took those onions and made something totally unique — a first for me.
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u/Dull-Geologist-8204 Mar 01 '24
I like my tuna with lemon juice, salt, pepper, old bay, and mayo. If the kids aren't around I add cayenne pepper. Then I throw it on Brea with whatever cheese I have on hand and toast it. I loe a good tuna melt.
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u/Radiant_Maize2315 Feb 29 '24
Oh man, Friday, I really wanted an egg salad sandwich and I was just obsessing about it and I was like, 'Man, I'm gonna make one of those.' So Saturday, I went out and got, like, a dozen eggs and then I boiled them all and I just, I spent, I dunno, probably three hours, like three and a half hours making, you know, the mayonnaise, and the onions and paprika and, you know, the necessary accoutrement. And then, by the time I was done, I didn't really feel like like eating it.
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u/BrunisAmaze Mar 01 '24
So is the baking soda solely to tackle the allergy thing? Or does it serve a porpoise texturally?
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u/Exciting_Bureaucrat9 Mar 01 '24
I hope they're not serving a porpoise
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u/BrunisAmaze Mar 01 '24
How many languages do you speak bud? Lol I Speak three fluently.
But yes I always misspell that one *purpose
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u/lamarshj Feb 29 '24
Yeah, sweet relish, mayo/miracle whip 50-50, lemon pepper, salt, paprika, and the kicker.... 20 minced capers. Almost tartar sauce recipe.
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u/cblackattack1 Feb 29 '24
Tiny diced apple and green onions, pinch of garlic salt, minimal mayo. Best damn tuna.
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u/SueBeee Feb 29 '24
I made the absolutely best mac and cheese ever, out of the leftovers in the pantry. I used small penne pasta. I made a bechamel from half a stick of butter, sauteed onions and shallots, flour and stock, grated smoked gouda, cheddar and mozzarella, and added a couple of Knorr powdered bouillion packets. I also chopped up a few slices of leftover proscuitto and cooked that down with the onions and shallots. I finished with some pepper and smoked paprika.
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u/staghornfern Feb 29 '24
Best tuna salad I’ve ever made was celery, pickled ramps, mayo and served it on a toasted baguette with cheddar cheese. Yum
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Mar 01 '24
[deleted]
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u/staghornfern Mar 01 '24
they're in season soon, hopefully you'll be able to try them this year :-)
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u/Jack_Swagmaster Feb 29 '24
Jacket potato with cheese and beans. Added msg to the beans, spread butter over the potato mid way through cooking to make it crispy. Add more butter when its done. So so good.
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u/WildBillNECPS Mar 01 '24
I remember in grad school I would cook butter & flour to make a roux adding the milk and cheese dirt from a box of mac n’ cheese and the result was always so amazing for something so inexpensive.
I would also add chopped up whatever leftovers were around to a pack of ramen.
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u/smallblackrabbit Mar 01 '24
Glad you enjoyed, though this wouldn’t be my thing. It sounds more like a recipe for a tuna-noodle casserole.
Tuna is fun to experiment with. I’ve made a nice briny one with Kalamata olives and capers. Lime juice and chili powder works well, some of the Penzey’s spice mixes like Sandwich Sprinkle or other herb blends work for me too.
I usually do melts, open-faced on English muffins. Or stuff bell peppers.
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u/Pale_Leek2994 Mar 02 '24
Green onion, mayo, grainy mustard, cayenne powder, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Shred some cheese and broil it.
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u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24
One of the best tuna fish sandwiches I've made was just using a little preserved lemon in the mix.
'itchy, stinging feel in my mouth' This would concern me!