For the new year and the new decade, I decided to renew my bread-baking skills, which have been idle since the last millennium, and also try the slow-rise method that is a new – or maybe rediscovered – way of making bread. So when Paper Chef announced the ingredients tuna, rosemary and red cabbage, and the challenge to try something new, I was in! I also wanted to continue my January theme of citrus, since I still have aplenty.
For Paper Chef, I made a tuna burger seasoned with rosemary, thyme, a little parsley, minced scallion and grated orange rind. A red cabbage slaw was dressed with olive oil, orange juice, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and a tiny bit of honey. The slaw sat while the rolls baked, which took about 30 minutes, plus time to cool. I made a lot more slaw than needed for garnish so we ate it as a side dish. I added thinly sliced orange pepper as a reference to the orange-flavored dressing. Just in case the sandwich needed some “glue” to hold it together, I made an orange-rosemary mayonnaise for slathering on the rolls’ bottom half. I simply added orange juice, grated orange rind and minced rosemary to a few tablespoons of good quality mayonnaise.
BTW, the rolls were amazing and I will post the story with a link sometime later. The technique came from Jim Lahey (Sullivan Street Bakery) and his new book, which were well promoted by Mark Bittman of The New York Times. I liked it since the slow rise was forgiving and did not allow the bread to dominate my schedule.
Tuna Burger (serving 2)
½- ¾ lb tuna, chopped fine by hand (not in a food processor please)
2 scallions, minced
1 tsp grated orange rind
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
½ tsp mined fresh thyme
1 tbsp minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients. Shape into patties and cook over medium-high heat in oil about 3 minutes per side.
Red Cabbage Slaw
1 ½ cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
½ orange pepper, thinly sliced
1-2 scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise
1-2 tbsp parsley
Splash of olive oil
Juice of ½ orange
Splash of balsamic vinegar
½ tsp honey
Combine ingredients and set aside for 15-20 minutes for the flavors to meld and the cabbage to soften a little.
Categories: Cabbage, Citrus fruit, Paper Chef, Sandwiches and burgers, Tuna
