on herbs and horseradish
I was at market on Saturday and purchased the start of my herb garden from Jeff Hartenfeld and Stranger’s Hill farm. Oregano, thyme, chives, tarragon, parsley – it is a good start. I have the challenge of living in an apartment downtown with no patio space, I have to keep them happy in my kitchen. I have a sunny kitchen that faces south, I should be able to make this work.
I use herbs every time I cook – and fresh is best! Today I made the most amazing tuna salad. Okay, I know you think tuna salad is boring. Tuna mixed up a bunch mayo and some chunks of celery and carrots. How exciting is that? But you can do so much better. My advice – stop being afraid of food! There are all sorts of things you can mix up with your tuna and make it something that is actually worth the energy it takes to eat and digest.
One of my very good friends is the inspiration for my lunch. Jean showed up one day with tuna that had a little mayo, dijon and a bunch of horseradish mixed in. It was simple but so yummy. I have Jean to thank for this introduction to horseradish. It was one of those things I would look at in the store and wonder, ‘what is it and what the heck do I do with it?’
She fed it to me and now I am convinced that it is one of the better food discoveries I have made recently. Horseradish and wasabi are related and both have that nasal passage clearing spiciness that makes you breathe deep and bounce around in your chair, shaking your head and exclaiming ‘oh, damn!’ over and over again. Pretty amazing and very different from a chili pepper hotness.
My advice, get some horseradish and put it in your tuna salad.
My tuna salad of the day: tuna, mayo, dijon, horseradish, capers, sliced cherry tomatoes, FRESH oregano and basil, some salt and pepper, a little grated parmigianno reggiano or pecorino romano. . . mix it all together and enjoy.
Don’t use too much mayo – I think I usually do about a tablespoon each of the mayo, dijon, and horseradish. If I go heavy on one of them, it is the dijon. Yummy!
