Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Tasty Tuesday -- Tuna Turnovers

We had these for dinner tonight, and I love them! I only make half of what I used to "back in the day", and even that's actually too much. But I can't figure out how to cut a can of tuna in half.... (Well, I know they now make tiny "single-serve" pouches. But they cost way more per ounce than a can.) This recipe is adapted from my beloved More-With-Less Cookbook.

Tuna Turnovers

For the filling: Combine 1 5 oz. can tuna, drained; 1/2 cup shredded cheese; 1 small rib celery, finely chopped; 1 T. onion, minced; salt; and pepper. Stir in enough mayonnaise to moisten to about the consistency of tuna salad. Filling can be made early in the day and chilled, if desired.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For crust: Combine 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 t. baking powder, and 1/4 t. salt. Cut in (a fork works fine) 2 T shortening. Stir in 3/8 cup (6 T.) milk. Dump dough out onto the counter and knead lightly 15-20 times.

Roll out dough into about an 8" by 16" rectangle, and cut into 8 4-inch squares. Place an equal amount of the filling on each square, fold over, and seal by crimping with a fork. (I do triangles or rectangles depending on my mood and/or how neatly I've rolled out the dough.) Place sealed turnovers on a greased cookie sheet, and brush with melted butter or margarine. ( 2 T - 1/4 stick is probably enough, although I tend to use as much as twice that.) Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. (Don't worry if some of the filling oozes out; some members of my family think the slightly crisp oozy cheese/tuna is the best part.) Brush with any leftover butter.

The cookbook suggests that you "Serve with clear soup and green salad." I've never done anything fancier than throwing some raw vegetables on the side, but the serving suggestion would admittedly make a "nicer" meal. Any cheese is fine, although we rarely use anything but cheddar. And you could also use 1/2 cup finely diced chicken or ham instead of the tuna. The crust also would serve as a reasonable stand-in for any filling recipe that calls for canned crescent roll dough.



4 comments:

Christina said...

Hurray! I am so glad you posted this recipe it is one of my favorite things you cook! I tried to make my own version from memory but they never tasted right. I am going to make these this weekend!

Miriel said...

Hmm. Not to be all snarky and know-it-allish, but I have a hunch that this is the kind of thing YOU would say to ME: just take half of the tuna out of the can? And then use the other half for tuna salad?

Love you :-D

Kate said...

I think this is Friday's dinner right here. Thanks!!

*bookmarks page*

Lindsay said...

Hmm. This looks good. (Minus the cheese, of course. ;o)) I may have to try it sometime!