Today's post was supposed to be the Seared Scallops with Orange Supremes and Jalapeno Vinaigrette recipe I teased a few days ago, but then I realized the deadline for a tuna recipe contest I had entered was just days away!This "Tuna Ventresca" stuffed shells recipe is my entry in the Tonnino Tuna Chef Challenge. As you'll hear in the video, "Tuna Ventresca" is the crème de la crème of the canned tuna world. You can check the Tonnino website for more details on why this wild-caught, hand-picked, Yellowfin tuna belly is so yummy, but I'll just say it made for one incredible casserole!
What I was trying to do here was gourmet-up the good old tuna noodle casserole. While it may seem counterintuitive to "cook" such an expensive, premium quality tuna, I'm so glad I did.
The flavor of this particular type of tuna is outstanding, and while I do usually enjoy it cold, as-is, I have no problem using it like as well. A regular chuck burger is great, but sometimes we just have to grind up a dry-aged rib eye steak.A few technical notes about the video… They gave us a 2-minute time limit, which is why the presentation is way too fast. I will be posting a longer, "director's cut" soon.
Also, the odd little intro and outro screens were for my peeps on YouTube, so they would know what was up. I hope you enjoy the video, and yes, this would work with any tuna, but if you can try it with the "Tuna Ventresca," I think you'll really enjoy it.
To vote, follow this link to the official recipe page, and just click on the "Like" button. Thanks!!
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups cold milk
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
20 cooked jumbo pasta shells
For the filling:
1 tablespoon reserved olive oil from tuna jar
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup green peas
*1 jar Tonnino Ventresca Tuna in Olive Oil, drained
2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
*By the way, in the spirit of full disclosure, a while back I did receive a couple complimentary samples of Tonnino tuna to try out – just in case that kind of thing matters to anyone.
24 comments:
Voted, great video!
That's fantastic! I will not rest until I find some of this beautiful tuna in a jar.
Well, yours is obviously the best video and I'm guessing that it is the best recipe.
My second vote would be the salad IF I could vote. But alas, I don't do facebook so how do I vote?
Jackie
WOW, this is a must try recipe. And 2 minutes was not as short as you think, your always very precise in your verbal directions so it was easy to follow.
Oh my! Must try this. Soon.
Off topic. Good job on taking out the background image, your site is scrolling smoothly again in my laptop.
Muuuuuuuuch better browsing, chef John. Muuuuch better. No more jerky scrolling, thank God!
And, may I say, much better (smooth, tasteful) layout overall.
Keep up the good work. I enjoy it several times a week!
I am now so hungry
nice, didn't think it was too short, I would vote, but I don't have a facebook, sorry chef
Hi. Would love to find the full recipe with instructions. Do you have that handy to post?
Dying to make this!!
How much tuna is this, approximately, if you're not using the jar?
Yummy recipe! We at Wild Planet Foods are having a tuna recipe contest on our Facebook page right now. The best recipe wins a basket of our sustainable canned seafood! Looking forward to reading more recipes:)
Hi,
Getting ready to try this mouthwatering recipe. I found Callipo yellow fish tuna in oil, the package is 3 cans of 80g each totalling 240g, I'm gessing I should put all three, right?
thanks in advance Chef John!
Safia
I made your dish for my family and they loved it! I just posted the results on my blog along with a picture. I would be honored if you would give it a look.
sweetmagnoliatree.blogspot.com
Hey John -- Congratulations on your win!!!!! I just checked Tonnino's site and saw your face. That's awesome. I entered a pretty lame video, but it was my first and I learned a lot :) And my recipe tasted great. It was a fun contest, but I didn't like how they kept extending the deadline. I rushed to get my video in at the first deadline. It was like they were letting all know... We still don't like any of the videos we currently have so PLEASE enter more, hahaha -- Oh well. Btw, I'm the girl whose table you didn't want to sit at during the Foodbuzz Fest Sat. night dinner :) You had to sit at the cool table and I don't blame you. I'm messing with you too. Congrats on your Tonnino win Chef Tuna.
Ciao, Shelly
lol, sorry! thanks for the congrats. keep doing videos!
Saying that I loathe tuna noodle casserole is an understatement. But, since my girls LOVE it, I was willing to compromise. I had low expectations that were blown out of the water. This was AWESOME. The girls had the "Oh My God" eyes when they first tasted it. How much did I like it? I ate it for dinner and brought the leftovers to work the next day! Thanks very much Chef John!!
Looks amazing? When the Directo's Cut will come out Chef John? It's almost a year and a half! I so anxious :D
I made this tonight with some left over salmon from a dinner party and chopped leftover asparagus instead of peas...phenomenal. I love your site, recipes and humor. Thank you for all the inspiration.
Made this the other night for a big dinner party; HUGE hit with my Italian friends. I had some shells left over, so I made myself a smaller version using left-over diced chicken. It's even better. The chicken version is now my "keeper" recipe.
Quick question. My wife hates....HATES ricotta cheese, along with cottage cheese and anything else near this texture. Is there a substitute someone can recommend? Maybe just upping the Fontina and omitting the ricotta? Thanks in advance.
We made this recipe last night and loved it!
Chrissy says, I don't know what to say, I'm just happy with it...and would make it again.
Whatever happened to the more in depth video?
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