All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: tuna salad

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers. Some are a given. Some are controversial. Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories. Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe. And of course, some of our favorites were not even included. We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason. Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her. Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts. Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years. Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before. And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all. I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along. We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

21. Ree Drummond- O Pioneer Woman! You rule the World Wide Web.

I don't know about ruling the www, but I see the attraction. I really do. Ree is very accessible to everybody. She serves up good food that is easy enough for pretty much anybody to make. And just in case you were to wonder how to do it, she's got step-by-step photos. An average of five hundred step-by-step photos per post. If I stop by to check out a recipe, I usually find myself skimming to the bottom of the page. I mean, do I really need to see 500 pictures of random ingredients being added to a bowl. I know what scooping flour looks like. And leveling flour. And pouring flour into a bowl. And the bowl after the flour is in it. (Take for instance this post on fry bread. The fry bread itself and the tacos made from it look stellar, and actually I don't mind the photos of it frying. It's the scooping and measuring flour and other white powdery ingredients that I don't think are necessary...sigh. That's just me. But I can scroll down, no biggie, right? Right.) Don't get me wrong, I don't mind step-by-step photos when they are necessary. I'm guilty of doing lots of them when I first started blogging, actually. But give me something cool like cutting down a side of beef, or bruleeing sugar, or stages of a complicated yeast dough. Not barbecue sauce being measured into a measuring spoon and then put into a bowl. Just sayin'. At least the pictures are clear and beautiful, though. If they were fuzzy, that would be the end-all. That said, I think she's deserving of making the list. Her food makes me hungry and she's an inspiration.

In case you've been living under a rock (or just not checking the food blog circuit), check out The Pioneer Woman to see what all the fuss is about. She also has a cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, plus another being released early next year, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier and a book chronicling the love story between her and the Marlboro Man...the one everybody loves to swoon over (yes, myself included...I love a good love story), The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story. Plus, though I haven't seen it, she has a new show on The Food Network.

Tuna Melts

slightly adapted from the Pioneer Woman (changes noted)

Servings: 6 (eh. I don't know about that...I'd say 2½ people to 5 people)

5 oz. tuna (tuna weight, not water or oil weight)

¼ c. red onion, finely chopped

¼ c. red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 Jalapeño, finely chopped

2 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped Seemed like a lot

6 whole Sweet Gerkins, sliced I used 3...and still thought it was excessive

⅓ c. Mayonnaise

2 Tbs.Dijon Mustard

Splash Of Pickle Juice

Salt & Pepper, to taste

6 whole English Muffins, split I only had enough mixture for 5 halves

5 slices cheese (swiss, muenster, provolone) I used aged Swiss

Combine tuna with onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, eggs, and gerkins. Stir in mayonnaise, Dijon, and pickle juice. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Place English muffin halves on a lined cookie sheet. Place a large spoonful of tuna salad on each of the English muffin halves. I used a level ¼ cup scoop for each half. Use the spoon to spread/flatten. I didn't. Put pan into the oven for five minutes, then briefly remove and lay a slice of cheese on each muffin. Return to oven and turn on broiler. My broiler is separate from my oven, so I just slid them back in the oven for 5 minutes longer. Watch carefully to avoid burning; bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Pretty. Good. Not wow. A bit too sweet...too many gherkins (and I halved the amount called for!) for me. I'll admit, my favorite version of the tuna melt is monochrome in comparison, but I love it. Could be that I grew up with it. That's the way my mom makes them. That's the way my grandma makes them. For me, that's the way they're supposed to be. But I realize as I'm talking about them, I've never actually posted them here. So I will. Soon.

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island, Barbara- Moveable Feasts, Linda- There and Back Again, Nancy- Picadillo, Mireya- My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica- My Catholic Kitchen

I am also sharing this post with:

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was chosen by Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails...and it was fabulous! At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to participate because I could not find fresh tuna ANYWHERE!!! It is not 4:26 in the p.m. of the day this recipe is due to be posted and guess what? I finally found some fresh tuna...but not much. I checked a few local grocers who I thought may have it (I'm in lake territory, not ocean) but was out of luck. While the kiddos and I were heading home from the library I decided to run into a different market to grab some lemons...and decided to check the seafood counter; you know, just in case. BINGO! There sat two lovely tuna steaks. Now, the recipe calls for Ahi and this was Yellow Fin, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it...or didn't it say Ahi? Hmm, where'd I get that? Anyhoo... there were only the two and they totaled just under a pound, so I went ahead and halved the recipe. I happen to love fresh tuna...heck, any fresh seafood for that matter. But, it HAS to be super fresh or I get kinda creeped out (I know, weirdo). Hubby on the other hand is not a big seafood fan...and he's even less a fan of rare meat (of any kind...makes me cringe when he orders his steak well-done). So, instead of leaving the tuna steaks rare, I cooked them through so that he would help me eat the salad. In all my tuna-euphoria, I forgot that I didn't have a couple of other ingredients called for, so I ended up subbing horseradish for wasabi (just as good, I think) and leaving out the scallions and my one of my favorite foods, avocado. Tuna Salad by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa (halved)

1 lb. tuna steaks (1" thick)

2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling I used Himalayan Pink sea salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling

1 lime, zested

1/2 tsp. wasabi powder I subbed horseradish

3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp. soy sauce

5 dashes hot sauce

1 avocado, diced I omitted this, boo hoo :(

1/8 c. scallions, sliced I omitted, didn't have

1/8 c. red onion, minced I just sliced them up thin

Brush tuna steaks with a little olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. In a piping hot pan, sear for one minute per side longer if your hubby won't do rare.

Mix the next ingredients (lime zest through hot sauce) well to make dressing I just put everything into a jar and shook like crazy.

Chunk the tuna and toss it with the onions and avocado. Pour over the marinade and toss gently. Serve.

This is seriously delicious! I almost wish I had cooked the tuna rare so that I'd have to eat it all by myself. Great choice, Kate. This paired wonderfully with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Head on over to see what the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this recipe!

And, since I did this so late in the day, I decided I'd just head on over to visit Tyler while I was at it. I was still barefoot and it was absolutely gorgeous outside, we went ahead and cooked up some of Tyler's dads awesome Chili Dogs. These were super simple, as well. Chili Cheese Dogs by Tyler Florence Eat This Book p. 186 slightly adapted Extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 pound lean ground beef 1 c. ketchup 1 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard Negra Modelo- few glugs Himalayan Pink Sea Salt freshly ground black pepper 4 hot dogs 4 hot dog rolls 1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese Put a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in a 2-count of olive oil When the oil gets hazy, add the onion and cook, stirring, until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the ketchup, chili powder and mustard and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Don't forget to add your extra ingredients (my additions), a few good glugs of negra modelo (before simmering) and the Pink Himalayan sea salt to season. Cook your hot dogs on the grill, or know what...any way you like them. Put your dog in your bun, spoon over the hot chili and sprinkle with cheese. Dig in! I actually forgot to take any photos until I had already bitten in (I was so excited to eat them).

So, two great Food Network personalities and chefs, one post....double duty! Be sure to head over to Tyler Florence Fridays to find out what everybody else cooked up with Tyler!