Tuna Green Pea Pie with Herbed Bread Topping

During lent when we were kids and weren't allowed to eat meat on Fridays, Mom often made various tuna casseroles. The classic Tuna Noodle Casserole was very popular, possibly because it was topped with potato chips. This Tuna Green Pea Pie recipe is another excellent casserole. While many casseroles just involve dumping all the ingredients into a pan and baking the casserole, this recipe does require some additional preparation before going into the oven. But it is worth it.

When I made this recipe, I used a bit more onion and bell pepper than the recipe called for, with good results. Rather than canned tuna, I used the no drain packets, so I substituted 4 packages that were each 2.5 ounces each. 

Tuna Green Pea Pie with Herbed Bread Topping 

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cans (7 oz.) tuna, drained
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen green peas
• 4 slices bread, cubed
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add flour, basil, salt, and pepper. Gradually stir in tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce, cook until slightly thickened. Cook slowly, uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add tuna and green peas; mix well. Turn into dish. Top with bread cubes. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Charred Broccoli Salad

On our recent trip to New Orleans, we had so much good food. This recipe is inspired by a delicious special side dish that we enjoyed at Cochon Butcher. The sandwiches at Cochon Butcher are so amazing that I am not sure that I could properly replicate them at home. Charred Broccoli Salad has a nice blend of flavors and can be made ahead so that the flavors blend more over time.

For this recipe, I learned a new skill of segmenting citrus, which is easier than I thought it would be. It is as simple as cutting off the peel with a knife, then removing the segments one at a time. Cochon Butcher use satsuma oranges, which are grown locally in Louisiana. I just used standard mandarin oranges available near me. 

Charred Broccoli Salad 

• 1 pound broccoli
• 6-12 garlic cloves
• Avocado oil
• salt and pepper, optional
• 1/2 cup segmented mandarins
• 1/2 cup segmented grapefruit
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary

Cut the broccoli into equal-sized pieces. Toss broccoli and garlic cloves with avocado oil and spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Roast in oven set at 400 for about 20 minutes,  turning occasionally until charred. Mix the charred broccoli with the segmented citrus in a large salad bowl. Mix the dressing by whisking the lemon juice, olive oil, and rosemary. Toss the broccoli and citrus with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!