Tuna Mornay + Salt & Vinegar Chippie Scales from Weeknights with Alice
Servings: 4
Sing it with me: When you stir creamy sauce with some tuna, of course, that’s a mornay! If you grew up in Australia, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that tuna mornay is actually pretty exotic for anyone who didn’t, and one advantage of coming to it later in life is playing fast and loose with this canonical classic of Cucina Australiana. I’ve taken the best bits of a mornay (creamy, comforting, casserole), eliminated the margin for gluggy error by replacing the bechamel with a crème fraiche-based green sauce that’s full of zip and zest – though you’re welcome to use half a cup of PG paste (page 214) as a shortcut instead. If using tuna in spring water, drain and add 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil to the green sauce instead. And it’s all topped off with a Friday Night fish ’n’ chips vibe from the salt and vinegar crisps – bonus points if they’re crinkle-cut!
15 minutes
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Ingredients
- 425 g (15 oz) tin tuna in olive oil drained (reserving the oil)
- 2 tbsp brined capers drained
- 250 g (9 oz) dried pasta shells
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen peas
- 1 bunch broccolini cut into 1 cm (½ in) pieces
- 150 g (5½ oz) shredded cheddar 165 g
- 165 g (5¾ oz) packet of crinkly salt and vinegar crisps
- olive oil
Green sauce
- 1 bunch parsley
- 3-4 garlic cloves peeled
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup 80 ml tuna oil (reserved from above)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) crème fraiche
Instructions
Heat is on
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F) and bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil.
Green with envy
- To make the green sauce, roughly chop the parsley (to make it easier to blitz), then toss it in your food processor or blender. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, tuna oil and black pepper, then blitz together for a couple of minutes, into a green paste. Scoop in the crème fraiche and blitz again to incorporate. Transfer to your largest mixing bowl and dump the drained tuna and capers in too.
Shell be right
- Once the pasta water is at the boil, rain in the pasta, stirring about for the first minute or so to stop it clumping. Cook for 1 minute less than suggested on the packet.
- Before draining the pasta, pop your peas and broccolini in a colander in the sink. Drain the pasta over your greens to give them a swift blanch and take the frosty edges off the peas.
All together now
- Toss the pasta, broccolini and peas into the mixing bowl. Tumble in half the cheddar and stir to thoroughly coat everything with the green sauce. Check for seasoning.
Bake it ’til you make it
- Transfer to a ceramic baking dish or pie dish. Top with the crisps, standing them to jaunty attention (or crunch them over if you’re in a hurry). Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar. Drizzle over a lick of olive oil and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbly.
- Wearing oven mitts, remove your catch from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes or so before serving at the table.
Notes
Double duty
You could enjoy this cold as a pasta salad the next day. The chippies will go a little soggy, so this is your permission slip to eat all the chips first!
Recipe from Weeknights with Alice (Murdoch Books)
