Stitch is an alien experiment gone wrong who escapes his planet, crash-landing on earth—Hawaii to be precise. Mistaken for a dog that has been hit by a car, he winds up in an animal shelter.
Lilo is a 6-year old girl who, after losing both of their parents in a car crash, is under the care of her 19-year old sister Nani. Lilo grieves by lashing out at others, while Nani tries to manage her new responsibilities and help Lilo heal. Nani decides to take Lilo to the animal shelter and let her pick out a dog. The "wild" in Stich attracts the "wild" in Lilo, and she officially adopts him. The rest is a wild ride of catchy Elvis tunes, property destruction, and repairing/becoming a family.
This was my first time to watch with an eye towards food, and there's actually quite a bit of inspiration throughout. But I kind of knew going in that I'd go with one of the most memorable food dialogue moments; one that happens right in the beginning of the film. We see Lilo swimming under the ocean, giving a fish a sandwich, which causes her to be late to hula class (again).
Lilo, why are you all wet?"
"It's sandwich day. Every Thursday I take Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich..."
"Pudge is a fish?"
"And today we were out of peanut butter. So I asked my sister what to give him, and she said 'a tuna sandwich'. I can't give Pudge tuna. [whispering] Do you know what tuna is?"
"Fish?"
[hysterical] "It's fish! If I give Pudge tuna, I'd be an abomination! I'm late because I had to go to the store and get peanut butter 'cause all we have is... is... stinkin' tuna!"
"Lilo, Lilo, why is this so important?"
[calmly] "Pudge controls the weather.
Join us next month as we head into the kitchen with our host Kimberly of Coffee and Casseroles with her pick, Coyote Ugly.
For inspiration, check out the Food 'n Flix website (click on any of the roundups listed to see what participants have been inspired to make by the movie choice), all of my past Food 'n Flix posts, or my Food 'n Flix Pinterest board!
Olive Oil Poached Tuna Salad (Sandwiches)
Yield: serves 6-8
Prep time: 25 MCook time: 5 MTotal time: 30 M
Poaching tuna in herb-infused olive oil is a simple way to add tons of flavor to your tuna salad and sandwiches.
Ingredients:
For the olive oil poached tuna (yield 1 pound cooked tuna):
- good olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- palmful of black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon Pink Himalayan sea salt (or any sea salt)
- 16 ounces uncooked ahi (yellowfin) tuna steaks or chunks
For the tuna salad (filling and sandwiches):
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely diced sweet pickles (or dill pickles, your choice)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion or green onion
- optional mix-ins (2-4 tablespoons): capers, diced hard-boiled eggs, chopped fresh dill or chives
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 to 8 mini (.75 to 1 ounce each) Ciabatta rolls, split
- Swiss or Gruyere cheese slices, optional (use if making tuna melts)
Instructions:
Poach the tuna:
- Choose a small-medium deep-sided pan that will be large enough to fit your tuna steaks/chunks in side-by-side, without overlapping. Add enough olive oil to the empty pan so that it will just cover the tuna; probably about 1 1/2-inches or so deep.
- Add the rosemary, garlic cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt to the oil. Turn the heat on to medium, allowing the oil to just start to bubble. Once you see bubbles, turn the heat off and carefully lower the tuna steaks/chunks into the hot oil; it should be just submerged.
- Allow tuna to sit, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the tuna will be just cooked through, with a tinge of pink at the center.
- At this point, you can use the tuna or store it. To store it, carefully lift the chunks of tuna into a clean glass jar or container. You can also transfer the herbs and garlic, or add fresh ones, if you wish. Next, pour the olive oil from the pan into the jar until the tuna is covered completely (you won't use all of the oil). Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Make the filling and sandwiches:
- Lift the tuna out of the oil and set it into a large bowl; a little bit of oil will come with it—this adds flavor and moisture. Use a fork to break the tuna up a little.
- Add mayonnaise (start with the lesser amount and adjust to your liking), celery, pickles, onion, and any optional mix-ins you'd like. Mix everything together with your fork. Taste, then adjust seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper.
- Serve on mini Ciabatta rolls, with lettuce or greens, if you wish.
Notes:
Turn it into an abomination (aka add cheese and make it a tuna melt): Preheat your broiler or use a toaster oven. Use a cookie-scoop or spoon to heap tuna onto the split Ciabatta rollls, then drape a slice of cheese over the top. Broil (or put in toaster oven) until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the tuna salad is warm.
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