Curried Tuna Mornay (and how to choose the best tuna!)

We're going retro with this one! Is there anyone who didn't eat tuna mornay sometime growing up int he seventies or eighties? It was a staple at my house but mum always made it with canned cream of celery soup in it which is not something I choose to eat these days.

(If you're interested Rachael Ray has a delicious homemade cream of celery soup recipe - it is loaded with dairy though - must experiment with a dairy free version!).

I haven't made mornay for the kids for ages so it was high time to bring it back into the rotation.

How to choose the best canned tuna

But before we get to the recipe, let's talk about tuna.

Do you have canned tuna in the pantry? And importantly, do you know how that tuna was caught?

According to Choice there are 2 things to think about when buying tuna.

1. Look for a sustainable species of tuna:

Read your labels carefully and look for skipjack tuna, which may also be called Katsuwonus pelamis. Avoid the commonly seen yellowfin tuna which is considered by Greenpeace to be 'near threatened.'

2. Look for sustainably caught tuna:

You want to look for 'pole and line caught' tuna, which should be noted prominently on the label.

Check out this Greenpeace guide to tuna brands in Australia. While I have never seen the number one pick (Fish 4 Ever), it is nice to see Safcol and Coles brand tunas rounding out the top 3. Are you surprised about which one is in last position?

So check your pantry. What brand is your tuna? Have you ever actually read the label on a can of tuna?

Oh and make sure you choose tuna in spring water, in order to avoid the vegetable oil most tuna is packed in. Because even the brands that mention olive oil on the front of the tin also contain a large proportion of vegetable oil. Yuck.

Back to the mornay and I decided to mix things up a bit and add some curry powder. This was largely to please my curry-loving husband who also happens to hate 'mushy' food (and yes he would include tuna mornay in that category).

The result? An easy and delicious dinner that (just about) everyone gobbled up in record time. Still can't convince Mr 5 to have either tuna or any sort of sauce on his pasta but ... 

My Curried Tuna Mornay

1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
2 zucchinis
100g butter or extra virgin olive oil
50g white spelt flour
350ml rice milk
1-2 ts curry powder
1/2 ts salt
425g can sustainable tuna in springwater

Place onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini in mixing bowl and chop for 4 secs / SP 6.

Scrape down the sides, add the butter and cook for 8 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1 / measuring cup off.

Add the flour, milk, curry powder and salt and cook for 6 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1.

Puree 20 secs / SP 8.

Add the tuna and cook for 3 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 1 / Reverse.

Mix through cooked pasta and serve.

No thermomix? Prepare your sauce in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter and sauted the grated vegetables. Once tender, sprinkle over the flour and cook until it is dry, about a minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tuna, and cook stirring continuously for a few minutes until a smooth sauce forms. Add the tuna, turn down the heat to low and let simmer for a few minutes or until everything is cooked and warmed through. Add your pasta and enjoy!

Do you have a favourite dish from your childhood?