tuna rolls

This is a full-on cheat. We made these for our Christmas day picnic, and I'm simplifying it even further by suggesting the use of tapenade to save you chopping olives yourself. This could be modified in any number of ways with equal success, I expect. I was inspired by a combination of empanadas and a recipe for chicken crescent rolls that my mother used to make (and I always loved!).


Tuna Rolls

1 can tuna
~1 c. tapenade (heavy on the green olives) OR 1/2 c green olives with pimentos, chopped, and 4 T capers and 1/2 c. onions (cooked with olive oil until soft)
fresh ground pepper
Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 beaten egg (optional)

Preheat oven to the temperature recommended on the crescent roll package (depends slightly on the variety). Open and drain the tuna. Flake into mixing bowl. Mix with tapenade and sprinkle generously with pepper. (Salt if you wish -- it depends on how salty your other ingredients are.) Unroll crescent roll triangles (one at a time) and spread or roll so that they are a bit thinner and wider -- as much as you can without jeopardizing their integrity. Plop a big spoonful of filling onto the dough triangle then wrap it up, being sure to pinch or smooth securely. Put on ungreased cookie sheet. Baste with egg for a little better-looking pastry, but this isn't really essential. Cook about 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.

cranberry chutney

Okay. I give up. Here's my world famous recipe for cranberry chutney. I hope you'll still invite me over. I got it years ago from NPR, and they got it from Madhar Jaffrey's cookbook.

Garlicky Cranberry Chutney

Susan Stamberg calls this recipe "my truly favorite cranberry side dish." It's from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook East/West Menus for Family and Friends (Harper & Row, 1987).

1-inch piece fresh ginger
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
l-pound can cranberry sauce with berries
1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)
ground black pepper

Cut ginger into paperthin slices, stack them together and cut into really thin slivers. [This may be the ideal method, but I generally just chop the heck out of it with the small food processer since it's already out for chopping the garlic. -LK]

Combine ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar and cayenne in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, simmer on medium flame about 15 minutes or until there are about four tablespoons of liquid left.

Add can of cranberry sauce, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a simmer. Lumps are ok. Simmer on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.

Cool, store and refrigerate. ("It will keep for several days, if you don't finish it all after first taste!") [I am a firm believer in making this a day ahead as the flavors blend a little more.]

red cabbage salad

1 small head red cabbage
salt (3 t.)
olive oil (a drizzle)
garlic (two or three cloves)

Shred cabbage. Toss with 3 teaspoons of salt. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour. Transfer cabbage to colander and rinse well. Let drain, squeeze out as much moisture as possible (I spread it out on layers of paper towels and rolled them up).

Press or finely mince as much garlic as you’d like. Depends on how big your cabbage was, how fresh your garlic is, and how much raw garlic you like to eat. Drizzle over a bit of olive oil, just enough to lightly coat it. Toss well so garlic is easily distributed.