Tuna Noodle Casserole Week

I am declaring this week Tuna Noodle Casserole Week (TNCW). I've been thinking about it lately—not like I think about the war in Iraq or immigration or the shrinking middle class or looking for a college for Daughter No. 2, but I have allowed tuna casserole to occupy a small portion of my brain. The phrase came up when Garrison Keillor sang about it on A Prairie Home Companion a couple of weeks ago, and I realized it's been years since I've had tuna noodle casserole.

It was a staple in the American diet in the 1900s. Anybody who could boil water and open a can of tuna could make it, and it was cheap. You can find the classic recipe here from Starkist.

But to start the week off, here's a stepped-up recipe from Rachael Ray that doesn't use a can of Campbell's soup for the sauce, and there isn't an ounce of mayonnaise in the list:

Tuna Casserole

1/2 loaf day-old crusty bread or 2 crusty day-old rolls
1 to 1 1/4 pounds tuna steaks, 1-inch thick -- 2 big steaks
1 cup white wine
Water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil -- 1 turn of the pan
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 large shallots, chopped
16 small button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme or poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 cup baby frozen peas
1 pound extra-wide egg noodles, cooked to al dente or 12 ounces, 1 box, egg fettuccini
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, to garnish

Place bread in warm oven, 250 degrees F, to dry and toast, 20 minutes.

Place tuna in a skillet and add wine, then water -- just enough to cover fish. Add bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring liquids to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover skillet. Poach fish for 12 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter--reserve remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add shallots and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté gently for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in ground thyme or poultry seasoning and flour and cook flour 1 minute, stirring with whisk. Whisk in stock, then cream. Adjust seasonings. Add peas.

Remove cooked, poached tuna to a bowl and flake fish with a fork.

Add cooked noodles and tuna to sauce. Remove sauce from heat and transfer mixture to a casserole or serving dish.

Use the widest cutting edge on a box grater to grate the bread into large crumbs. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small cup in microwave and pour melted butter over bread, Scatter buttery bread crumbs and parsley over the top of the casserole. Serve immediately.