Taste and Create VI - A Trip to the Mediterranean in Utah via Alaska

If you read the title to my post you may be wondering what I'm talking about. Actually, you would probably only be wondering if you haven't been lucky enough to come across my partner for this Taste and Create VI Event's blog. I am pleased to say that I was paired with Laurie, author of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska as well as the Tastes Like Home cook book.

I thoroughly enjoyed going through all of Laurie's wonderful recipes, and though several caught my eye, her Baked White Beans with Tuna and Sage was one I knew I had to try. The pantry staples with the addition of a few simple, fresh ingredients, combined in a dish I could walk away from sounded perfect. Being at home with Cole, (the demanding four-month old - now 9 weeks corrected age) who, I'm not kidding, will only sleep if he is being held, is challenging. Finding time to make something good for Aidan and I can be impossible some days. So, I am learning to find meals that can be great, with the minimum amount of effort. Thanks to Laurie I now have another.

I followed Laurie's recipe exactly, other than the garnishes she suggests, mainly only because they were sadly too much of a challenge on a grocery list for my husband to find (and until Spring is well underway and RSV season is over he is doing the bulk of the shopping - unfortunately for us both). So, the added benefit of these items being things I already keep on-hand was a lifesaver. As such, I decided to chime in with this recipe for Allen's Food Fight: Pantry Raid this month. So, for Allen, here is a shot of my pantry currently. It ain't pretty.



Until this kid sleeps on his own everything is being shoved in, on whatever shelf it fits, by my husband (I just KNOW someone out there is playing the violin for me right now). Make sure to check back to Eating Out Loud for the results of the Food Fight.

Anyway, I digress - on with the recipe.

Here is Laurie's creation with my notation in italics.

Baked White Beans with Tuna and Sage
(Φασόλια με Τόννο και Φασκόμηλο)
Serves 3 – 4
(Note: Since it is easy to do and I was the only one home to eat this when I made it, I cut the recipe in half, so expect it to look twice as big when you make this.)

2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini or other white beans (I had navy beans on hand so that is what you see here)
2 6-ounce cans albacore or other tuna
2/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 - 4 Tbsp. minced fresh sage, or 1 – 2 Tbsp. dried rubbed sage
Salt (I used kosher, just my preference)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Drain the beans into a strainer and rinse them well. Drain any oil or water from the tuna.

In a 10” x 10” glass baking pan, mix the beans, olive oil, garlic, half the sage, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.



Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven.



Stir the tuna, lemon juice, and remaining sage into the hot beans; break the tuna into bite-sized pieces as you stir. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Taste, and add sage, lemon juice, salt, or freshly ground black pepper, as needed. Bake for 5 more minutes.



Serve with olives, feta cheese, pickled peppers, and crusty bread.

(I served with a few fresh whole leaves of sage, just for looks, and a twist of fresh lemon, some shaved parmesan and some crusty bread lightly toasted in the oven with some butter and roasted garlic - oh YUM).

(One more thing, when you have kids around you don't always get to actually eat all of your food while it's hot - that happened here, and let me tell ya, it was great warm and room temperature too.)

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Thanks again to Laurie and big thanks to Nicole at For the Love of Food for a great event. I'll be looking forward to doing this one again.