Thon en sauce Mornay - Tuna Mornay

Tuna Mornay is a great midweek meal idea. It’s quick to make, less stress for a a recovering mum with a full house of children. It takes a minimal of ingredients – most from the pantry. It can be served with a variety of side dishes, or none at all. And it’s great for dinner the next day, or lunches over a couple of days. It has nice simple flavours that are wholesome and creamy. It’s a nice way to spend a cool autumn evening, curled up on the couch with a bowl of tuna mornay fresh from the oven.

I really like sauce Mornay ... which is really just a bechamel (white) sauce that has cheese added to ... so for the everyday terms - a cheese sauce. It is a part of modern French cooking and was made famous by the Hot Brown Sandwich at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY USA ... but also in the dish called Tuna mornay or also called Tuna noodle casserole in some parts of the USA.

Here’s the ingredients & method I use …

• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 can tuna
• 500g pasta
• few knobs of butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Handful of fresh parsely, chopped (optional)
• 100g gyuyere
• 100g garlic and herb creme cheese
• 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
• sprig of fresh thyme1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• peas and/corn (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Drain the can of tuna and reserve the brine. Flake the tuna.
3. Heat butter in a pan. Add onion and celery. When onion and celery soften, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove the pan from heat and gradually stir in the milk and tuna brine.
5. Return the pan over low heat until it boils and thinkens. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
6. Stir in nutmeg, cream, herbs and half the cheese.
7. Remove from heat and stir in tuna.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Spoon the mixture and cooked pasta into a baking dish.
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs over the top.
11. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Do not over bake as it will dry out the sauce!

A dish even children will eat ... nice to add in extra veg of your choice ... for extra vits!