Ingredients:
Serves 4 to 6
* 1 head escarole
* 6 ounces (150 g) canned tuna fish
* About ‘½ pound (200 g) salt cod’ Make sure it’s desalted.
You should know, this recipe is normally prepared with dried tuna. However, not everybody has access to it. High quality canned tuna fish in olive oil is a good substitute and is widely available.
* 8 anchovy filets
* 8 to 10 kalamatta olives
For the dressing
* The crumb of 2 slices bread
*15 to 20 almonds roasted
* 10 hazelnuts roasted
* 4 ancho peppers seeded
* 3 garlic cloves
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 4 or 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil only
Preparation:
Cooking time: 0 minutes (no cooking…Yay!.
Preparation time: 45 minutes.
1. Soak the dried peppers in water for an hour. When you want to start preparing the tuna salad recipe, poor boiling water over them. Soak for 10 minutes, or until they sink to the bottom. Halve the dried peppers and seed them. With a teaspoon, scrape the inner part of the pepper to collect the edible pepper meat.
* If you don’t have time to soak the dried peppers for an hour, let them soak in boiling water a little longer. This will also work.
2. Soak bread crumbs in the red wine vinegar.
3. Peel the hazelnuts and almonds by scalding them in hot water for a few minutes, and toast them in the oven (you don’t have to toast them).
4. Add the peeled garlic cloves to a mortar and pound them. Add the almonds and hazelnuts and crush them with the pestle. Work it into a thick smooth mixture. You can use a blender, I do.
5. Add the edible pepper meat, and continue working the mixture. Once you reach paste stage, add the bread crumbs soaked in vinegar. Mix it.
6. Slowly add the extra virgin olive oil while you continue mixing the mixture with the pestle until it is thick and smooth.
7. Rinse the escarole thoroughly, and dry. Tear the leaves into larger pieces. Add the escarole to your salad bowl.
8. Add sauce to the bowl with the escarole and mix well.
9. Top the escarole with the tuna fish, the cod fish, and the anchovies. Garnish with olives. Finally, add a few teaspoons of the sauce.
10. Serve. You can place the rest of the sauce on the table so everyone can add some if they choose.
If you like this recipe, there are many more you receive at this link with my guide on the Mediterranean diet. There are also some free recipes at that site in case you weren’t aware just to get you inspired.