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, TunaTags: Bread, Burgers, Cabbage, Fish, Orange