Ina Gartner's Tuna and Hummus on Sourdough

So, I’m on the treadmill one morning and was watching the Food Network and Ina Garten came on. She was taking a picnic to a friend, and this tuna was one of the items she was preparing. I grew up eating exclusively Bumble Bee brand white flake tuna, so this revelation that Italian tuna in olive oil was good was exciting. I rushed to my nearest Fresh Market and immediately prepared the dish. It is simply devine and has become a staple in my food repertoire!

14 ounces jarred or canned Italian tuna in olive oil
1/4 cup minced celery
2 TBSP minced yellow onion
2 TBSP minced cornichons
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 TBSP Hellman’s or Duke’s mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sourdough bread, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Hummus, store-bought or homemade (recipe follows)
Fresh radishes, sliced

Hummus:
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved (15.5-ounce can)
1/3 cup tahini or sesame paste
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
6 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
8 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 tsp kosher salt

Drain the oil from the tuna, reserving the oil. Place the tuna in a mixing bowl and flake it with a fork. OR you can empty the tuna into a food processor and pulse to your desired consistency. I like mine pureed pretty good.

Then place in a bowl.  Add the celery, onion, cornichons, lemon juice, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil, the mustard, salt, and pepper and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or a day or two to allow the flavors to blend.

Toast the bread and spread each slice with a layer of hummus. Spread the tuna salad on each piece of bread, garnish with slices of radish, and serve immediately.

For the Hummus:
Place the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid, the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until coarsely pureed. The hummus should be moist and thick; add more lemon juice or reserved chickpea liquid to thin, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to blend. Taste for seasonings.

*A note on the tuna – I should be getting residuals from Bumble Bee, as I am THAT devoted to their white albacore tuna, and usually I’ll forego tuna altogether if I can’t have that brand.  BUT the Italian canned tuna is to die for!  Try it prepared like this recipe, and I promise, you’ll love it!

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