tuna and cannellini salad, recipe from Delia Smith's How to Cook

assemble just before serving.

make the spice paste: grind in a mortar 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsps. sea salt, 1 & 1/4 tsps. peppercorns, and 1/2 tsp. powdered mustard (such as Colman's), until quite pasty.
scrape into a jar w/ a lid and add 3 tbps. oil from tuna, 3 tbsps. lemon juice, lemon zest from 1 lemon, & 3 tbsps. olive oil. shut tightly and shake. (can be made a day ahead.)

warm up 2 15-oz. cans of cannellini (white kidney beans) in a saucepan. drain and add 2 cans of drained tuna in oil (i used Pastene brand)--oil reserved for the dressing. mix well and arrange over a bed of rocket (arugula)* or green leaf lettuce. pour well -shaken dressing over and garnish with thinly sliced red onions.


i love this salad because of the assertive flavors of garlic, mustard, tuna, pepper...but i guess it is anathema to anyone who hates any of those above, as many of my husband's family are...*sigh*sigh*sigh*. more for me i guess...


*whoa! my first time to try rocket and i was quite surprised at how pungent it was. dear friends, please let me know if this is 'normal' or maybe i just happened upon a bad bunch...i don't like adding to my list of "can't eat" because i pride myself on eating most things! my can't eat list right now only consists of sea urchin roe.