Wednesday 25 January
Barbara wanted to make something soothing for Holt's still-queasy stomach, and as she was home for the afternoon, she took on the surprisingly labor-intensive job of making a tuna noodle casserole that you wouldn't mind eating. It was prompted by a packet of dried soup (crema di funghi porcini) that some kind soul brought us from the Italian supermarket GS. So in the unlikely event that you have such a packet, here's a useful thing to do with it.
8 oz. rotini pasta
salt
butter
6 chopped scallions, whites and greens separated
8 0z. sliced fresh mushrooms (cremini would be good)
small handful of chopped parsley
ditto of fresh thyme leaves
packet of dried porcini soup mix (see above; 3 portion size)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup (or more) heavy cream
1 can solid white albacore tuna, preferably in oil, drained
1 small fillet cooked salmon (left over from Saturday)
1/4 cup panko
Start some salted water boiling, and cook rotini until just al dente; drain and set aside. Heat a pat of butter in a large pan and sauté the scallion whites for a minute or two, then the mushrooms until they turn dark. Turn heat down a bit, add parsley, thyme, and scallion greens, and toss for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle the soup mix over, mix well, and gradually add the milk, then the cream, stirring to dissolve. Cook on low; crumble in large chunks of tuna and salmon; add more cream if necessary, until the mixture is sludgy but edible; and correct for seasoning. Toss in rotini and mix well.
Grease a casserole with abundant butter, and pile the mixture in. If it looks dry, add a driblet of cream here and there; cover, and cook in a 400º oven for about 15 minutes.
Melt a pat of butter in the microwave, and mix in the panko. Uncover the casserole and sprinkle its top with the buttered panko, and let brown in the oven about 15 minutes more.
Ends up surprisingly tasty, and though we're unlikely to make the same thing ever again, it will serve as a good guide for improving the bland childhood favorite.
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