I will start by saying that you should probably not try this recipe. It was not good.
It sounded interesting, so I wanted to try the recipe. It was a different take on a tuna casserole. I don’t love a tuna casserole, so why not try it with something different.
I cooked the black eyed peas until there were almost done. I didn’t want them to be to soft or mushy. I wanted them to have a little crispness.
The strangest part of the dish was the amount of red pepper. Mid Century dishes are rarely overly spicy. My husband loves spicy food, so this wasn’t necessarily a problem for us. It was just strange. And the spice didn’t really work with the other ingredients.
Mixing the tuna with the tomato paste gave it a strange consistency. It was kind of like a tuna pasta or pate.
The dish did not smell nicely while it was cooking. I think by the time I had it in the oven my daughter and I had already decided this was not something we were going to eat. To us it looked like a cereal for dinner night!
My husband did in fact try it. He did not love it. He did not even like it really. He said that despite my cooking the beans al dente, they were still mushy. Combined with the mushy tuna, the whole dish was a big old pile of mush.
And the seasoning was off. It was spicy, but not in a good way.
So, in my opinion, don’t try it. It is a waste of a day of cooking!
West African Tuna Casserole
2 Cups Cooked Dried Black Eyed Peas
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Large Tomato, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper
14 Ounces Flaked Tuna
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Buttered Crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peas in an ovenproof baking dish. Sauté onion in oil. Add to the peas with the tomato and crushed red pepper. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Add tuna, tomato paste and salt. Cover and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle with buttered crumbs. Bake 5 minutes uncovered.
Comments