Tuna Treat

"Treat"

Hello again, my internets! It has been about a month since the last post and I missed you beyond measure. Let's never be apart again! In all seriousness, I had a bunch of other (boring) stuff going on this month, but I should be back to my semi-regular weekly posting schedule now.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering about the delightful creation in the picture above, aren't you? The cookbook calls this recipe Tuna Treat, but I keep feeling like I should put the word treat in quotation marks... like this: Tuna "Treat". That's better.

This is one of those recipes that just has REALLY regrettably mismatched ingredients. I could see this passing as a normal casserole if it was just tuna and rice (and a can of mushroom soup, naturally). I could see this as a sweet tagine dish with rice and spices and peaches, but without the tuna. Basically, I'm of the opinion that tuna and peaches should never, ever, for the love of Grilled Cheezus, be in the same recipe. Back me up on this, people!

But how does Tuna "Treat" taste, you ask? I really wish I could have tasted it without the tuna. The flavour you get with each mouthful of rice is like this (in order of prominence): tuna fish, mulling spices, peach syrup. Yeah. Like that.

This isn't a treat for anyone. I just can't imagine serving a halved peach with a chunk of tuna in the middle to a dinner guest. Except maybe Georgia O'Keefe. Maybe.

Tuna Treat

Ceramic Owl is concerned...

1 can cling peach halves
1/2 cup water
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup vinegar
1 3-oz can sliced broiled mushrooms
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 5-oz package pre-cooked rice, cooked according to package directions
2 7-oz cans solid-pack tuna, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Drain peaches and reserve syrup. Combine peach syrup, water, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vinegar; bring to boiling point over medium heat. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Combine mushroom liquid and cornstarch; mix well. Gradually add cornstarch mixture to hot syrup and continue until thickened and clear, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, and cooked rice. Break tuna into large pieces with a fork and add to rice mixture. Arrange alternate layers of tuna mixture and peach halves in a 2-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake in moderate oven (350° F) 30 minutes. Serve piping hot. Serves 6.

This recipe is from the casserole section of the Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking, published by Homemakers Research Institute in 1959.