My tuna salad sandwiches

My husband and I are not people who swap meals for sandwiches very often – we do like our rice and beans, soups, pasta dishes, and now Joao has some serious competition on my Bolognese sauce, since my 2 ½ year-old nephew loves it as much as Joao does. <3

However, when burgers or tuna salad sandwiches are involved we are happy to have sandwiches for lunch or dinner, and more recently, the sardine rillette has become part of that small list. I did not imagine my husband liked tuna salad sandwiches until the day I made this recipe, which I have been making for over 20 years. He went crazy for the tuna salad and it instantly became part of our favorite things to eat on lazy weekends.

This tuna salad goes very well with all kinds of bread – including the soft rye bread I posted a while ago – but I find it very important to have the slices toasted if the kind of bread chosen is not very sturdy: it prevents the sandwiches from getting soggy.

My tuna salad sandwiches
own recipe

1 can of tuna preserved in water (120g/4oz drained weight)
1 carrot (about 100g/3oz) peeled and coarsely grated
1 small onion, finely diced*
handful of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oli
2/3 cup mayonnaise – homemade is even better
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drain the tuna very well, then transfer to a large bowl and flake it with a fork. Mix in the carrot, onion, parsley and olives. Drizzle with the olive oil and mix well. Mix in the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with your favorite kind of bread.

* this recipe is delicious too if you replace the onion with celery

Makes 5-6 sandwiches using regular, white bread

Mayo marinated roast chicken

I have told you that I am a very visual person and that beautiful food photos get my attention instantly, and a while ago I found out that my husband is just like that too. :)
Now, every time I see something delicious on a magazine or cookbook I immediately show him the picture – that has made my life so much easier! :)

I was reading Bon Appétit the other day and saw this insanely golden chicken – it caught my eye right away. When I read it was marinated in mayonnaise I was even more curious about the recipe, so I lifted the IPad and told him (I might have screamed, I am not so sure): “LOOK at this chicken!” to what he replied: “please make it for lunch next weekend?” :D

So in a matter of minutes the menu was decided and I got to learn that marinating chicken with mayo makes it really, really tender and beautifully golden – and all those spices combined with the onion and garlic added a wonderful flavor to it.

Mayo marinated roast chicken
adapted from Bon Appétit magazine

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds total)
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

Make the marinade: in a food processor, process onions, garlic, lime zest and juice, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper until a rough purée forms. Transfer to a large baking dish and stir in salt, black pepper and mayonnaise. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours (overnight is even better).

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large and shallow baking dish with a double layer of foil and brush it with olive oil. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and scrape off the excess marinade. Place chicken onto the foil, skin side up, drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve immediately – I served it with watercress salad, like it was on the magazine, and it was delicious

Serves 2

Quinoa fritters with harissa mayo - starting 2014 in a healthy way

Happy New Year everyone! :)

I hope you all had an amazing holiday period, full of great food and great people. The husband and I indulged a little – or should I be honest and say a lot? :) – during the holidays, and now it’s time to start eating properly again: less alcohol, more healthy grains and greens. These quinoa fritters are super easy to make and they’re good for you, while the harissa mayo gives them a bit of a kick – I’ve become addicted to this spiced mayo since it tastes delicious with other things, too (it turns a regular burger into a mean one, for example).

Thank you for your comments and emails, I’ll be answering them soon. xx

Quinoa fritters with harissa mayo
slightly adapted from Bill Granger (fritters) and Nigella (mayo)

Fritters:
100g quinoa (I used red quinoa)
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
30g freshly grated parmesan
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1 large egg
canola oil, for frying

Harissa mayo:
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon harissa paste (or to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

arugula leaves and extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Fritters: place the quinoa and 200ml water in a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 12 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Cool. In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, spring onion, parsley, oregano and parmesan. Add flour, salt and pepper, lemon zest and egg. Stir well to combine.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and 2 tablespoons of mixture per fritter (cook them in batches). Cook for 2-3 minutes each side, or until browned. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Mayo: place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine.

To serve, top each fritter with a dollop of mayo, arugula leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes about 10

Beetroot, chickpea and arugula salad and memories of mom

I’m not someone who repeats recipes, but this salad has been made and served at Maison Scarpin three times already: it goes well with both fish and chicken, and I’ve eaten it without anything else, too – a big bowl of it was the perfect light lunch.

I remember eating tons of beetroot as a kid – mom was very concerned about healthy meals, years before it became a trend – and looking at the picture of this salad makes me think of my pink fingertips and mom by the sink, doing the dishes. Such great memories.

Beetroot, chickpea and arugula salad
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

¼ cup whole-egg mayonnaise
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
400g beetroots, cooked, peeled and quartered
100g arugula leaves

Place the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through. To serve, layer the arugula with the beetroot, chickpeas and mayonnaise mixture.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Creamy tuna and chickpea salad

During the holidays we tend to go a little over with all the eating and drinking: I know I get carried away with making the food and end up eating more than I should. And kudos to those who can control themselves – God knows I’ve tried to be one of them, but got to the conclusion that it’s never gonna happen. :)

Lucky me I also love salads and they are perfect for our tropical Xmas – this is a very quick and simple idea, from DH's website.

Creamy tuna and chickpea salad
from Donna Hay magazine

¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and cracked black pepper
1 x 400g can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed*
2 x 185 g cans tuna in olive oil, drained
1 spring onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped if too large
80g arugula leaves
olive oil
flatbread, to serve

Place the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas, tuna, spring onion and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle the arugula with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place it by the creamy salad.
Serve with crispy flat bread or toasted sourdough croutons. Alternatively, wrap in flatbread or lavash for a portable meal.

* I soaked 1 cup dried chickpeas overnight and cooked them for 40 minutes

Serves 2

3 years of blogging call for chocolate-mayonnaise cupcakes with raspberry cream

There was a birthday celebration at home yesterday, but not mine nor Joao’s – this very blog turned 3!

I cannot believe it’s been that long – so many posts, recipes and photos... Not to mention the wonderful people I’ve met, virtually or personally, because of the blog. The comments and emails I get from you make me really happy and willing to improve my skills and learn more. Thank you for keeping me company all this time! You're the best!

I’d been meaning to bake these cupcakes for months – was intrigued by the addition of mayo to the batter, instead of butter – but thought they deserved a special occasion; this is certainly one. :D

Chocolate-mayonnaise cupcakes with raspberry cream
cupcakes from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey, frosting from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cupcakes:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (33g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (200g) caster sugar
1 large egg
½ cup mayonnaise (not low-fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cups (160ml) boiling water

Raspberry cream:
112g (4oz) unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed, with the juices
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon rosewater

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F. Line one standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners*.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the sugar and egg and beat with an electric mixer set at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the mayonnaise and vanilla just until combined. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in half the flour mixture until just combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add half the boiling water and beat at very low speed just until the batter is smooth, 5-10 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined, 5-10 seconds longer. Beat in the remaining water – the batter will be somewhat thin.

Divide batter among the prepared cupcake cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the raspberry cream: put the raspberries and their juices in a small non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, mashing the berries with a large spoon, until they give up all their juices, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then strain through a sieve to remove the seeds. Add the sugar and rosewater and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
In a chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the raspberry purée.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them generously with the raspberry cream and serve.

* I used 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity pans

Makes 12