An old favorite – recycled

 

Tuna Florentine with crumb topping

It’s kind of hard to come up with new recipes when you’re on a soft diet, at least I find it hard. I am hoping my current disinterest in food is temporary, and I count it as a good sign that I am still collecting new recipes off the web and out of magazines. But today I want to share an old favorite. Before the world crashed in on me recently, I was expecting a good friend from the Houston area to come visit, and I planned to fix this for her. In retrospect, it’s a good thing that won’t happen, because my co-host for that little dinner doesn’t eat cooked greens, a fact that I, a confirmed spinach lover, conveniently forgot. But if you’re okay with spinach and with the bit of extra work required for this, it really is good. And it’s a nice, light dish for a summer evening.

Tuna Florentine

2 Tbsp. butter, divided use

1 small onion, minced

2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach

2 tsp. salt, divided use

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

2 7-oz. cans tuna, packed in oil

3 Tbsp. flour

Pinch of mace

½ tsp. white pepper

Spinach cooking liquid plus enough milk to make 1½ cups

1 c. grated Swiss cheese

2 Tbsp. Parmesan

2 Tbsp. white wine

Topping

1½ c. soft bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

2 Tbsp. melted butter

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter; add onion and sauté until brown. Separately, cook the two packages of frozen spinach in less water than the directions call for, breaking the frozen spinach up with a wooden spoon. When tender, drain thoroughly, reserving the liquid (spinach should be very dry). Add butter and onion to spinach. Season with 1 tsp. salt and nutmeg. Simmer briefly to blend flavors.

Add milk to spinach liquid to make 1½ cups.

Drain tuna, reserving 2 Tbsp. oil; flake.

Put 2 Tbsp. tuna oil and remaining Tbsp. butter in saucepan and melt butter. Blend in flour, mace, remaining salt, and pepper. Add spinach liquid/milk mixture and stir over heat until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and add cheeses and wine. Heat until smooth again, and fold in tuna.

Layer spinach in bottom of shallow casserole. Top with tuna mixture. Mix topping ingredients together and spread over tuna layer. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until bubbly and lightly browned (35-40 minutes).

For the spinach lovers among us: if you like this, next time you fix Eggs Benedict, makes them Eggs Florentine!