Animal, Nature, and Travel: Taste-Bud Journey: Tuna Patties with a Red Cooking Wine Twist

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making Tuna Patties with a Red Cooking Wine Twist. It was inspired by watching one tutorial about creating a roux using red cooking wine and also from watching a few tutorials on how to make tuna patties that used either bread crumbs and/or bread cubes. I've listed the four sources that inspired me the most near the end of this blog.

My other motivation was to use up some of the multiple tuna cans I bought when the pandemic first happened plus to use up most of the bread loaf that did not rise as much as I would have liked that I had made the previous day.

Conclusion: The patties have the texture of a mashed potato pancake - crispy on the outside and soft like mashed potatoes on the inside. I know it would likely have been crispier and held its shape better if I had fried it in oil instead of using a more typical cooking style; however, I try to limit the fried food that I eat.

Personally, I found the meal surprisingly yummy and appetizing with the addition of the dipping sauce that reminded me, a bit, of the sweetness of Thousand Island dressing. I would definitely make this dish again!

Recipe - This makes 16 tuna patties

1/2 cup of crushed onions
3/4 cup of shredded bell peppers (red, yellow, and green)
3/4 cup of shredded broccoli
1/3 cup of red cooking wine
1 tsp dried rosemary flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Olive Oil Mayo
1 tbsp corn starch
4.5 oz can of albacore tuna stored with olive oil (reserve olive oil)
4.5 oz can of tuna stored with olive oil (reserve olive oil)
olive oil cooking spray
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
1 cup of plain bread cubes
2 cups of hot water
4 tsp of veggie broth
olive oil cooking spray
1 egg or 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters (to cook into food mixture)
Another egg or 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters (set aside)
1 tsp Psyllium Husk Powder (a binding agent)
3 tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal (a binding agent)

Please note: The bread cubes and bread crumbs came from a homemade loaf of bread I made the previous day. For the recipe I used, please click on this link that will open up in a new window.

These links will open in a new window.

Anthony's Organic Psyllium Husk Powder, 1.5 lb, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Finely Ground, Keto Friendly - This is how that product is described:

A. USDA Certified Organic Psyllium Husk - Batch Tested and Verified Gluten Free

B. Product of India, Packed in California

C. Plant Based, Vegan Friendly, Non-GMO with No Additives

D. Promotes regularity, helps ease constipation, aids in overall digestive health

E. Finely Ground Powder - Add 1-2 Teaspoons to a full glass of water, smoothies and more!

Ninja Food Chopper Express Chop with 200-Watt, 16-Ounce Bowl for Mincing, Chopping, Grinding, Blending and Meal Prep (NJ110GR) - This is the high-powered food processor I used to chop up the veggies, the bread crumbs, and the tuna.

Procedure

Step 1: In a high-powered food processor, chop up red, yellow, and green bell peppers. Do, the same with broccoli florets and onions. This will total about 2 cups of vegetables.

Step 2: Cut up enough slices of bread to create about 1 cup of bread cubes. Add some more slices of bread to the high-powered food processor to create about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Set the bread crumbs aside for later.

Step 3: Open two cans of tuna and/or albacore that are stored with olive oil. Drain off the oil into a food prep bowl. The olive oil will be used to oil the frying pan when it comes to caramelize the onion and veggie mixture. Add the tuna to the high-powered food processor to chop up the tuna.

Step 4: Heat up 2 cups of water in the microwave. Stir in 4 teaspoons of Veggie Broth to that water.

Step 5: Measure out 1/3 cup of Red Cooking Wine. To that cup, add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary flakes. Stir. Then, add 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil Mayo, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Stir well. Heat that mixture for about 45 to 60 seconds in the microwave. Stir well enough that there are no lumps.

Step 6: Pour the olive oil into a frying pan. Turn on the stove to high. After about a minute, add the onion, bell pepper, and broccoli mixture. Spray the veggies with a liberal amount of olive oil cooking spray. Lower the heat to medium to medium high and cook for a few minutes until veggies are caramelized. Stir occasionally.

Step 7: Mix together the veggie broth mixture and the red cooking wine mixture. Stir well. Add all of that to the frying pan. Stir occasionally as the mixture slowly thickens and some of the water evaporates. Allow the mixture to reach a low boil and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 8: Stir in the tuna. Let the mixture again reach a low boil as you stir occasionally. Then, add in the bread cubes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 9: Then, stir in 1 beaten egg. Cook this mixture at a low oil for another 2 to 3 minutes. When the mixture has thickened considerably, use a pizza pan as a lid (or something similar), reduce the heat to low, and cook this mixture for ten minutes or so.

Step 10: After ten minutes, stir in 1 teaspoon of Psyllium Husk Powder (or Xanthan Gum) and three tablespoons of Ground Flaxseed Meal. Mix well. Then, put the lid back on and cook for another ten minutes - giving the mixture a chance to gel together. At the end of ten minutes, turn off the heat. The mixture will be thick and gelled together.

Step 11: On two or three containers that you know will fit in your refrigerator, line with wax paper or parchment paper or aluminum foil. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out the mixture into separate patties. They will not be thickened enough to roll into a patty yet, but they will be gelled enough to not run into each other. You will ideally end up with sixteen patties. Place these trays in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to an hour to chill.

Step 12: By that time, you should be able to pick up each scoop and roll it into a ball. Roll that mixture through 1 flattened-container holding that second beaten egg. Then, roll that ball into a flattened-container holding the bread crumbs. Then, flatten the ball into a patty and lay it on a tray covered with parchment paper (for easier cleaning). Do that with each of the 16 patties.

Step 13: Use a liberal amount of olive oil in the frying pan. Cook each patty four or more minutes per side until it is golden brown on both sides. Then, drain the patties on a paper towel prior to plating and serving.

Step 13B: While the patties are cooking, make the dipping sauce. In a small serving bowl, add 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, and 1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish. Stir well! [FYI - I ended up slathering this mixture on the patties as I felt it really enhanced the flavor.]

Step 14: Serve and enjoy! What you don't eat that day, you can refrigerate and/or freeze for future meals. [FYI - Thanks to the sweetness of the dipping sauce, I enjoyed this so much that I ended up making this three days in a row.]

These recipe sources that I used some or most of their ideas will all open in a new window. The rest of what I did came from my own imagination of what I thought might taste good together and/or trying to use some ingredients that I needed to use up while still fresh.

Red Wine Onion Gravy by Chris Collins - This is the recipe I mostly followed - with some variation, of course.

Crispy Tuna Balls | Recipe/food idea for quarantine and kids would love by Team Bequette - I used her recipe for the dipping sauce; however, I added sweet pickle relish to mine.

Simple Tuna Patties Recipe. Worlds easiest fishcake from Todd's Kitchen

How to make tuna nuggets at home / no secret ingredients by Cook and Share

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.