George Foreman Grill

New take on the old fashioned tuna sandwich

I received an offer from Groupon for a George Foreman grill for $54 including shipping.  I've often heard people raving about their GF Grills so I decided to take the plunge.  The first thing I cooked?  Well, a tuna sandwich of course!

Brioche roll gets a grilling

This sandwich combines cold and warm ingredients which worked out nicely.  First I grilled a brioche roll.  I only toasted the inside until I got the grill marks - it took less than a minute - you have to keep your eye on it as it can burn fast.

Grilled cherry tomatoes

Next I grilled sliced cherry tomatoes.  This really intensified the flavor of the tomatoes.  I also think it's important to use a really high quality tuna.  I buy Cento tuna packed in oil.  Cento was named the best canned tuna by Food & Wine Magazine.   I used to buy Bumble Bee and only packed in water.  But I noticed each can I bought had increasingly mushy tuna.  I bought it packed in water to save on calories and fat.  But, olive oil is considered a "good" fat and the flavor of the oil with the Cento brand is exquisite.  I just put the tuna with the oil in a small bowl, add about a tablespoon of champagne vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cento is a bit more expensive -  a small can is $1.89 but it's worth the extra pennies.

Et viola!

I assembled the sandwich with salad greens, the tuna mixture, the grilled tomatoes and banana peppers - which are sweet and mild.  I buy them in a jar.  They add a nice kick to the sandwich. 

I'll be posting more traditional meals to cook on a grill.  But if you have one of these you should give the tuna sandwich a try - it's really delicious and takes no time at all to prepare.

Ingredients

1 three ounce can of Cento tuna (Genova is also a good brand)

1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 tbspn champagne vinegar

1 tspn anchovy oil (optional)

1/8 cup banana peppers

1/4 cup salad greens or arugula

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Cut the roll in half length-wise (don't cut it entirely in half - leave room so the roll holds together

Mix the tuna with the oil from the can with the champagne vinegar.  Just gently mix with a fork until blended - try not to mince the tuna.  Add the anchovy oil; salt and pepper to taste.

You may need to add extra virgin olive oil to the tuna - each can has differing amounts of oil

Grill the roll on the inside only till the grill marks appear - less than a minute

Remove roll from the grill

Add the tomatoes to the grill and cook until charred - about 3 minutes - keep an eye on them

Remove tomatoes from grill

Assemble the sandwich and enjoy!