“If guests unexpectedly came to you …” And the refrigerator is empty. Almost empty – we find ourselves in this situation regularly. I don’t know why, but in Russia the unexpected guest is the rule rather than the exception.
Especially in Moscow – because, perhaps, that it is a large village, and in the villages “go to the light” is quite a common thing. An example of a typical Moscow house is the Famusovs’ house: “The door is open for the invited and the uninvited.” Chatsky even came to visit at seven (!) In the morning, being almost sure that the owners were sleeping. And he was very surprised that his beloved girl was not in the bedchamber: “A little light is already on my feet, and I am at your feet.”
Since guests are brought to our homes not only by passionate passion, but also by friendly disposition, a desire to communicate and a feeling of hunger, they must be fed. I would venture to disagree with the advice of the great Elena Molokhovets regarding going to the cellar for a leg of lamb. And not only because, to put it mildly, not everyone has a cellar. The guests simply will not understand if we do not seat them at the table immediately, but offer to wait two or three hours until the leg languishes in the oven. Discussing the news of cultural life or playing charades is better and more fun for us at the table or after a feast. Therefore, the only way out is to prepare a quick salad from what we managed to find. Salads really decorate our everyday life, not to mention the holidays. I can imagine Marya without Ivan, and a wedding without an accordion, but I can’t imagine a holiday without a salad. And vice versa: there is a salad – there will be a festive mood.
Suppose we found a couple of cucumbers, a bunch of lettuce, an avocado and a can of canned tuna in the refrigerator. Why not? Sometimes a set of “almost nothing” can be very bizarre. Moreover, I know houses where you can find fresh tuna in the form of a steak in an empty refrigerator. But to make a delicious salad, we emphasize once again, is quite realistic without it.
Grilled tuna with vegetables
For 4 persons. Cooking time: 25 minutes.
- 500 g tuna fillet, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 1 red pepper
- 1 eggplant
- 2 courgette
- 4 feather of a green onion
- 12 basil leaves
- salt and pepper
For the filling:
- 3 Art. l. olive oil
- 1 Art. l. lemon juice
- 1 Art. l. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- juice of 1 garlic clove
- salt and pepper
Wash the vegetables, cut the eggplants into 5 mm thick plates, zucchini – 4 mm, pepper – into 8 “petals”. Prepare the dressing by mixing the ingredients. Dry the vegetables, roast them on the grill and pour over the dressing. Fry the tuna pieces for 4 minutes on each side over low heat – on the grill or in a dry non-stick frying pan. Then cut into slices 1/2 cm thick. Put the vegetables on plates, put 4 slices of tuna on top, garnish with chives and basil, salt and pepper.
So, back in 1978, my mother’s friends, fascinated by the performance at the Competition. P. I. Tchaikovsky, the young Canadian pianist Andre Laplante, at the final concert, they filled him with flowers and souvenirs. Touched, Laplant admitted that he would very much like to visit some Moscow house, to see how people live here. Of course, they invited him to visit. Of course, “right now and let’s go.” It was a pity to look at my mother, whom her friends informed by phone about the upcoming visit of a dear foreign guest in half an hour, because, of course, the refrigerator was empty. We managed to find a few eggs, two elderly onions and mayonnaise. But while I ran to the deli and in a panic tried to make out at least something on the empty shelves, she managed to prepare the simplest salad: a layer of sliced eggs, a layer of fried onions and mayonnaise. This salad became the highlight of the program. The Canadian pianist exclaimed all evening that only in Russia he was treated to such an exquisite, such an amazingly tasty dish.
And if we had tuna and avocado … Would André Laplante return to Canada? Not sure.
Delicate “petals”
Sprinkle 5 cm thick tuna fillet with coarse salt and leave for 30 minutes. Then wash the fish and dip in boiling water with bay leaves, ginger slices and 1 tablespoon of salt. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and close the lid. After an hour, the fish can be taken out and served, seasoned with olive oil, gherkins, capers, lemon zest and pepper grains.
Essential tuna
Red or white tuna meat is a storehouse of essential omega-3 fatty acids, which improve eyesight, reduce the risk of heart disease and have fantastic effects on brain function. Tuna is one of the fastest fish, its body temperature is several degrees higher than that of other marine life. It is this “heat in the blood” that explains the unusual (not fishy) taste of its meat. It can be eaten fresh – in the form of carpaccio or sashimi, stewed or grilled, cut into slices or baked in one piece. In any case, it must be cooked on low heat so as not to overdry, served not fried, but only toasted – otherwise the fillet will become dry and tasteless. Tuna can also be stewed: in the oven or in the duck, cut into thick slices, adding tomatoes, white wine, onions, olives and capers (but again, always on low heat).
Quick Tuna Salad
For 2-4 persons. Cooking time: 10 minutes.
- 1 can canned tuna in own juice
- 1 bunch of lettuce
- 2 cucumber
- 2 tomatoes
For the filling:
- 3 Art. l. olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon or lime 1 tsp. sugar or honey
- 1 avocado 1 bunch parsley salt, pepper
Vigorously tear the salad into shreds, cut the cucumbers and tomatoes into thin slices, mix. Arrange the tuna pieces on top. Pour the olive oil, lemon juice, juice from the can of tuna into a large bowl, add sugar (or honey), salt and pepper, beat until thick. Mash the avocado pulp with a fork, finely chop the parsley, mix it all thoroughly with the dressing and pour over the salad.