New School Tuna Casserole

This is from Cooking Light. It's a tangy alternative to the regular tuna casserole and I like them both.

We adapted it slightly, using more salt (as always with CL recipes), regular egg noodles instead of whole-wheat, and tarragon instead of dill (it's what we had on hand).

We also forgot to pick up chicken stock so used all milk for the sauce, embellishing with a judicial splash of Worcestershire.

New School Tuna Casserole
Serves 6 generously.

Step 1

12 ounces uncooked egg noodles

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook noodles until very al dente.

Step 2

1 tablespoon oil
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium. Add mushrooms; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add thyme; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Step 3

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2-1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 5-ounce cans albacore tuna in water, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Add butter; stir to melt. Whisk in flour; cook until roux is golden, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add stock; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; whisk in milk, tomato paste, mustard, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Return to a simmer; simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Pour mixture into bowl with noodles. Stir in tuna and dill.

Step 4

2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)

Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer tuna mixture to baking dish; top with cheese. Bake at 375°F until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes.

Gingersnaps

These are from "Cookies Unlimited" by Nick Malgieri. It is a simply wonderful cookbook and we've never made anything that didn't work or that we didn't like. Considering how many recipes we've tried, that's an impressive record.

This was the first recipe I made and the one that made me buy the book. These are classic crisp, spicy gingersnaps truly worthy of the "snap" in their name. Simple and delicious.

Gingersnaps

Makes about 40 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for finishing
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

1. Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl; stir well to mix.

3. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed the butter and 1 cup sugar for about 5 minutes until very light, fluffy and whitened. Add the egg and continue beating until smooth.

4. Lower the speed and beat in half the dry ingredients, then the molasses. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to finish mixing the dough.

6. Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow bowl.

7. Use a small ice cream scoop to form 1-inch-diameter pieces of dough. Roll the pieces into balls between the palms of your hands, then roll them in the sugar. Place the balls of dough on the prepared pans, leaving about 3 inches all around each, to allow for spreading.