CONCORD, N.H. — The trouble with tuna melts is they can be so messy to make.
I've never had much luck achieving that happy equilibrium whereby my bread is well toasted, my cheese is melted AND my tuna salad hasn't oozed into the skillet.
For this reason, I generally leave my tuna melts to the experts.
Recently, inspiration struck. Or to be more precise, inspiration struck Rachael Ray, who put it in her magazine ("Everyday With Rachael Ray"), which I read, got inspired by, tinkered with and came up with my own version of.
Ray's recipe was for a bruschetta (an Italian appetizer in which a large slice of bread is topped with something savory, such as tomatoes and cheese) crowned with tuna and melted cheese.
I liked her idea, but I wanted it to be a little more traditional. Where she went Italian with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and arugula, I stayed American with pickles, celery, mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese.
Assembly was easy. Lightly toast the bread, mix the tuna salad, top the bread with the salad and cheese, then finish with a few minutes in the oven. No mess, no fuss. Just as good as a real tuna melt, and impressive enough to serve guests.
OPEN TUNA MELT
(Start to finish 20 minutes)
5 thick slices rustic bread
Two 6-ounce cans tuna
1 small red onion, diced
1/3 cup diced roasted red pepper
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/3 cup bread and butter pickles, diced
1 cup loosely packed baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
5 slices Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Arrange the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until just barely browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven to 400 F.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the tuna, onion, roasted red pepper, celery, pickles and spinach. Mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and mayonnaise, then mix it into the tuna.
Spread the tuna salad over each slice of bread, then top with a slice of cheese. Bake 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Makes 5 servings.
E-mail: jhirsch@ap.org.