tuna noodle fish casserole

One of the small food drawbacks in the UK is the lack of Campbell's soup. I know it's strange that I say this, firstly because Campbell's soup isn't that fantastic as far as soup goes. Secondly, I usually poo-poo any recipe that has "...and now add a CAN of cream of BLANK soup". The soup is typically high in sodium and low in flavour.

However...

There are some times when you really want to slap together a quick little casserole or make a special recipe from your childhood that is of that 'can of soup' vintage and nothing really works in those recipes except Campbell's. I've learned this by sad experience. And I'll tell you what that's sad:

This past summer my sister left me some groceries that they weren't able to take back to Alberta with them (when we were all in NS). Included were two cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup (recall the 'Fork!'/'Spoon!' ads of the late 80s?). At the end of our stay we decided to eat one for lunch. I put it on the table and after taking a few slurps asked MBC if it was condensed soup. She didn't know, so I checked the tin: No, it wasn't. Holy salt! I mean, it was Fran-and-Gordon-salty-ham salty! It was like mechanically separated meat and vegetables in a light brine.

So, yeah, Campbell's... not really that fab.

On the positive side of things, if you must buy canned soup in the UK, Baxters (made up in Fochabers) is great (I also approve of their crinkle cut beets). However, their soup tastes too much like soup you might make yourself to be right as an ingredient. I'm afraid their cream of mushroom soup tastes too strongly of mushrooms to be right for tuna casserole. Sorry Baxter's. but you are just too good.

So, what are you to do? Well, I prefer to do it better. At this point, I'd like to welcome Mr Christopher Kimball in (although only metaphorically, as in real life I'd be too afraid to speak to him because he's so amazing).

Last year, the March & April Cook's Illustrated had a great method for Stroganoff and I plundered a small portion of it for my very own Tuna Noodle Fish Casserole. Campbell's soup be gone!

Here is the recipe, the way I do it, apologies to the slight changes and entirely different application from the Cook's Illustrated one.

Tuna Noodle Fish Casserole

1 can tuna (drained)

3ish cups of macaroni

1/2 cup peas

1 lb white mushrooms

1 Tbsp dijon mustard (a good French kind)

1 tsp sugar

ground black pepper

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large shallots, minced (or a small onion if you aren't cooking for MBC)

salt

4 tsp flour

1/3 cup dry vermouth (or white wine, but vermouth is way better)

1-1/2 cups vegetable stock (we use Marigold Swiss Style)

1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream if that's all you can get)

1 Tbsp of fresh dill

Method:

1. Get macaroni cooked as you are doing the rest.

2. After rubbing clean, chop up mushrooms to a reasonable size and put in the microwave on High for about 4-5 minutes (till they've decreased to half the bulk). Drain mushroom water and discard. Mix up sugar, mustard and about 1/2 tsp of ground pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Heat up oil in skillet until just smoking and add mushrooms, onion and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cook until the vegetables are brown and starting to form dark bits on the bottom of the pan (6-8 min). Add tomato paste and flour, stirring constantly, until everything is well coated (about a minute). Add the vermouth and vegetable stock de-glazing the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mustard paste and tuna. Reduce to medium heat and let thicken (about 5 min).

4. Once sauce is reduced sufficiently, add creme fraiche, peas and dill. Make any final seasoning adjustments (with salt and pepper if needed) and mix the whole lot with the cooked macaroni in a casserole dish.

5. Top with crunched up crisps (potato chips), or crackers or panko or whatever you fancy. and cook at 350 F for about 30-40 minutes (or until the top is nice and brown). I'm not too sure about this final bit as we use our Remoska and it takes about 25 minutes.

So that's how to beat 'the man' and not have to use canned soup. Of course it takes about 20 minutes more and uses a bunch of things, but it does taste about 37 thousand times better.

Yum.

breakfast

Since getting married last year (yes, it was last year now), I've been enjoying breakfast a lot more. I've always been a staunch breakfast eater, but often forfeited quality for time. My wife has re-introduced porridge to our routine and through several tweaks I've now converted to eating it without sugar. One small change which makes a big overall difference. A good theme for the new year I think.

Here are a few hacks for 'regular' breakfast items that push them over the top:

Porridge

We are big oatmeal fans of whatever type (rolled, ground or steel cut) but I must say it's well worth paying a little extra for a good quality brand. My favourite in the UK is the Oatmeal of Alford, which has a lovely nutty flavour. Cheap oatmeal tends to have a slightly 'off' taste and it's worth paying a bit more considering even the expensive type is extremely cheap by comparison to other breakfast options.

We follow the old Scottish tradition of soaking the oats overnight (as we usually cook them in our Remoska). It reduces cooking time and I think it keeps the porridge from turning to complete goo.

We add dry fruit (raisins, dates, figs, apricots) for flavour and a bit of milk to cool. I've adopted the Cox tradition of using evaporated milk, which is nice and creamy without being too fatty or sweet.

We usually eat oatmeal at least four days a week, depending on the season and because it is a low GI food it gives you a good dose of energy to get you through until lunch. We might periodically sub in Cream of Wheat or when available Waitrose Four Grain Porridge. The latter being one of the best hot breakfast cereals known to man.

Eggs

I've recently discovered the Mr Breakfast method for scrambling eggs. It's nothing particularly fancy, but it works - perfect fluffy eggs each time that aren't runny, watery or rubbery. It's all in the method really, click on the link and read. Delicious if served over toast.

Runner up is poached eggs on toast.

French Toast

MBC isn't a big French Toast fan, sadly. In fact, early on in our marriage she won't eat it at all. After some intense parallel research into steamed puddings, I discovered one of the reasons why French Toast often fails - incorrect egg to milk ratio! Most recipes assume that all eggs are the same size and some, I believe, assume incorrectly that people enjoy soggy bread. The secret ratio is.... 1:1! Yep, just crack as many eggs as you want in to a bowl on your kitchen scale and note the weight. Then pour that same weight of milk in. Done... perfect French Toast every time.

Yoghurt

Store bought yoghurt is the yuck! It is full of starch, sweeteners and non-dairy-gum-based nonsense. There are a few brands that are alright, but nothing beats home made... which is easier than making French Toast (that is unless you live in Sweden and have access to A-Fil). Serve with home made compote/fresh fruit and/or dry cereal.

So, those are our breakfasts of choice... now a word about cereals. Cereals, as in that food product that you buy from the long aisle at the grocery store with the brightly coloured boxes. I happen to kinda love breakfast cereals. They are the easiest food to prepare and have such dashing spokesmonsters as Count Chocula. How could you resist?

Well, cereal is pretty much entirely highly processed carbs. Probably the worst thing to start your day off with. However, as a snack they are pretty awesome, considering they are FAR better for you than just about any other thing you'd be tempted to eat during the mid afternoon or just before bed. In fact the journal of the American College of Nutrition says this exact thing.

I'm allowed to have Chocolatey Checkers, which is pretty amazing because it's filled with chocolate hazelnut spread (aka Nutella) and has more fibre than raisin bran and few calories.

So anyway, how's that for a New Year's blog post! So remember kids, it's best to enjoy your cereal as part of a complete bed time snack and enjoy a low-GI protein rich breakfast.